EPA & DHA - How much is needed?

Hi all

I know that the more updated view on EFA's is to get them from PEO's. However, it seems good to be taking some form of fish oil. I know that Krill is much better because of the Astaxanthin, but it seems most brands have very little EPA & DHA per serving.

Cod liver Oil on the other hand has higher amounts of EPA & DHA (some brands are 4x more than Krill tabs), but is prone to oxidation. Also, if you believe Peat, it tends to cause a lot of damage.

Whilst I try to eat some oily fish every week, is there any research on how much EPA & DHA is needed? I appreciate that some is better than nothing, but it would be good to know as it helps most of us when choosing supplements

For the record, I am taking 1/2 tsp PEO and some coconut oil every day. I was taking Blue Ice Cod Liver Oil, but it's quite pricey to maintain.

Thanks

Some say that the benefit of omega-3 comes from reducing the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in the body. Therefore, the larger the omega-6 intake, the more omega-3 would be needed. Conversely, reducing omega-6 would decrease the need for omega-3.


http://chriskresser.com/how-much-omega-3-is-enough-that-depends-on-omega-6

Would taking Astaxanthin along with Cod Liver Oil prevent oxidation? The amount of EPA & DHA in some Krill brands seems really really low

averagejoe001 wrote:Would taking Astaxanthin along with Cod Liver Oil prevent oxidation? The amount of EPA & DHA in some Krill brands seems really really low

Astaxanthin does prevent the oxidation of the EPA/DHA. Also the phospholipids in krill allow much better absorption and assimilation due to the phospholipids "hand delivering" the fatty acids directly into the cell membrane, as opposed to having to break down triglycerides in standard fish oil.

Therefore, a more modest dose of krill oil (1,000 mg) will provide all the protection, without having to resort to higher doses of standard fish or cod liver oil.

CausticSymmetry wrote:

averagejoe001 wrote:Would taking Astaxanthin along with Cod Liver Oil prevent oxidation? The amount of EPA & DHA in some Krill brands seems really really low

Astaxanthin does prevent the oxidation of the EPA/DHA. Also the phospholipids in krill allow much better absorption and assimilation due to the phospholipids "hand delivering" the fatty acids directly into the cell membrane, as opposed to having to break down triglycerides in standard fish oil.

Therefore, a more modest dose of krill oil (1,000 mg) will provide all the protection, without having to resort to higher doses of standard fish or cod liver oil.

Thanks CS
For a while I was really confused about some brands of cod liver oil offering much much higher amounts of EPA & DHA. I was a little concerned that those higher amounts are needed in order for it to be effective, but good to know it's not necessary

In my opinion we should fix weakness first instead of improving things.

pufa are very prone to peroxidation, even if you consume them along with antioxidants antioxidants have a short life compared to how long pufa may last in the body so it's better to minimize them.

TheAlchemist wrote:In my opinion we should fix weakness first instead of improving things.

pufa are very prone to peroxidation, even if you consume them along with antioxidants antioxidants have a short life compared to how long pufa may last in the body so it's better to minimize them.

Do you mean EFA's as a whole are over rated?

TheAlchemist wrote:In my opinion we should fix weakness first instead of improving things.

pufa are very prone to peroxidation, even if you consume them along with antioxidants antioxidants have a short life compared to how long pufa may last in the body so it's better to minimize them.

I agree with your first statement a lot. But as far as PUFA phobia, there is not a food group on earth that is not demonized by one group of people or another. There is a body of evidence suggesting certain PUFA is beneficial, and another body suggesting it's problematic. It's best not to classify anything as either right or wrong, good or bad.

NDW wrote:

TheAlchemist wrote:In my opinion we should fix weakness first instead of improving things.

pufa are very prone to peroxidation, even if you consume them along with antioxidants antioxidants have a short life compared to how long pufa may last in the body so it's better to minimize them.

I agree with your first statement a lot. But as far as PUFA phobia, there is not a food group on earth that is not demonized by one group of people or another. There is a body of evidence suggesting certain PUFA is beneficial, and another body suggesting it's problematic. It's best not to classify anything as either right or wrong, good or bad.

If we have to fix our heads we have to go deeper than that, epidemiology has flaws, pufa stress could also be beneficial under a certain context as even poison could be beneficial, if PUFA are truly important for well being it may be VERY important to find the best dose that gets the most pros/cons ratio, if there are pros at all. Fish PUFAs could be beneficial under certain cirmustances because they also provide other nutrients.

TheAlchemist wrote:

NDW wrote:

TheAlchemist wrote:In my opinion we should fix weakness first instead of improving things.

pufa are very prone to peroxidation, even if you consume them along with antioxidants antioxidants have a short life compared to how long pufa may last in the body so it's better to minimize them.

I agree with your first statement a lot. But as far as PUFA phobia, there is not a food group on earth that is not demonized by one group of people or another. There is a body of evidence suggesting certain PUFA is beneficial, and another body suggesting it's problematic. It's best not to classify anything as either right or wrong, good or bad.

If we have to fix our heads we have to go deeper than that, epidemiology has flaws, pufa stress could also be beneficial under a certain context as even poison could be beneficial, if PUFA are truly important for well being it may be VERY important to find the best dose that gets the most pros/cons ratio, if there are pros at all. Fish PUFAs could be beneficial under certain cirmustances because they also provide other nutrients.

I see... and how would one go finding out if they're beneficial - what sort of things would you look for

averagejoe001 wrote:

TheAlchemist wrote:

NDW wrote:

TheAlchemist wrote:In my opinion we should fix weakness first instead of improving things.

pufa are very prone to peroxidation, even if you consume them along with antioxidants antioxidants have a short life compared to how long pufa may last in the body so it's better to minimize them.

I agree with your first statement a lot. But as far as PUFA phobia, there is not a food group on earth that is not demonized by one group of people or another. There is a body of evidence suggesting certain PUFA is beneficial, and another body suggesting it's problematic. It's best not to classify anything as either right or wrong, good or bad.

If we have to fix our heads we have to go deeper than that, epidemiology has flaws, pufa stress could also be beneficial under a certain context as even poison could be beneficial, if PUFA are truly important for well being it may be VERY important to find the best dose that gets the most pros/cons ratio, if there are pros at all. Fish PUFAs could be beneficial under certain cirmustances because they also provide other nutrients.

I see... and how would one go finding out if they're beneficial - what sort of things would you look for

I wrote a thread about it where others could contribute too, giving tools to people to look for answers themselves
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
is a big start.
Other coulds make suggestions too.

My philosophy is to stay towards the middle until all the evidence is on the table. Oxidation is one small aspect of physiology. How many systems could a pufa potentially effect that have yet to be discovered? With the evidence available at present, making definitive statements about pufa is premature.

NDW wrote:My philosophy is to stay towards the middle until all the evidence is on the table. Oxidation is one small aspect of physiology. How many systems could a pufa potentially effect that have yet to be discovered? With the evidence available at present, making definitive statements about pufa is premature.

The free radical theory of aging is one of the biggest ones, animals with low pufa content live a lot longer. That's potentially a biggie considered the variables.

So consuming just enough could be the smartest choice. But yeah, there's a need to dig deeper.

CausticSymmetry wrote:

averagejoe001 wrote:Would taking Astaxanthin along with Cod Liver Oil prevent oxidation? The amount of EPA & DHA in some Krill brands seems really really low

Astaxanthin does prevent the oxidation of the EPA/DHA. Also the phospholipids in krill allow much better absorption and assimilation due to the phospholipids "hand delivering" the fatty acids directly into the cell membrane, as opposed to having to break down triglycerides in standard fish oil.

Therefore, a more modest dose of krill oil (1,000 mg) will provide all the protection, without having to resort to higher doses of standard fish or cod liver oil.

CS, does the synthetic Astaxanthin they add to farm raised salmon's diets still provide benefit? I would imagine yes, since synthetic Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) has provided benefit in ortho medicine for a long time too.