How Much Fish Oil Should Be Taken?

By Author: Muddassir Malik
Total Articles: 42
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Short answer: You want to take 1 to 3 grams of high quality fish oil per day. Long answer: Take a few minutes and read this article to find out.

EPA and DHA are the well-known Omega 3 fatty acids which we are looking to get when we drink fish oil. These fats appear in the oil in a ratio of 18:12, meaning 18mg of EPA for every 12mg of DHA. This is considered the natural ratio and some fish oils will maintain this ratio, others will alter this focusing on one fat in preference to the other. There is also another oil to consider - Omega 6.

In a study by Simopoulos from Biomed Phamacother, we need to look statement that several sources suggest that humans earlier in history had a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of approximately 1 whereas in modern Western diets the ratio is 15 to 1. The study then lists several severe health conditions that are linked to an imbalance of this ratio. This does not mean that the ideal ratio is 1:1 for Omega 6:Omega 3. The University of Maryland Medical Center states in its complementary medicine reports that a healthy diet result in a ration of between ...
... 2 and 4 to 1 (Omega 6 to Omega 3) ratio.

So what if we calculate the average grams per fat per day from Omega 6 and simply divide by 4? Let's take 30 grams of fat from Omega 6 per day - to throw a number out. If we divide by 4, we would expect 7 grams of Omega 3 fatty acids per day. I do not know though whether 30 grams of Omega 6 fat per day is a reasonable amount, the number is simply to show the calculation.

Another question we need to ask is what studies that show the efficacy of fish oil are using on test subjects. The answer is between 2 and 6 grams of fish oil. To rephrase the question, fish oil generally shows positive benefits on clinical studies; how much fish oil is needed to gain those benefits?

A high grade fish oil is around 5 grams in a teaspoon. For an unconcentrated oil, this will result in 500mg of DHA and 800mg of EPA in the oil, and this is enough for one day. Fish oil liquid bottles will recommend this amount - 1 teaspoon. They seem to recommend the lower end of the range considered generally safe (up to 3 grams of fish oil is generally regarded as safe).

Hence the recommendation of 1 to 3 grams of fish oil for general use. Going for high doses of fish oil, 6 grams, 10 grams or more per day have been reported, but you definitely want to talk to your doctor before considering this.

If you are taking fish oil, take a high quality fish oil like Carlson's MedOmega 2800 fish oil.
To learn more about High Quality Fish Oil and especially especially about Carlson Fish Oil for Kids, please visit Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil.