Fish Oil capsules: new Quack medicine?

I take four Omega-3s and one 3-6-9, daily, for high cholesterol/triglycerides. My numbers are improving.

Furious_Marmot, as a partial answer to you, my doc told me to take a certain brand, one that she had done some checking on, to make sure that the pills were as free from contamination as possible.

I also had to stop taking them for a few days prior to a minor surgical procedure, because of clotting issues very similar to the ones from taking blood thinners.

In the United States, it’s really not as common to have fish or give kids cod liver oil to supplement their diets as it is in Northern Europe. I only have memories of that stuff because I still have close family who live in the homeland and I spent enough summers over there to get familiar with the scent and taste of that stuff. I am, however, finding it strange to see so many fish oil bottles that mask the taste or plaster the word “Iceland” all over it and don’t really have much to do with it. I’d rather take it in the form of Lýsi than the doctored-up stuff they sell here.

Currently, I take fish oil capsules because I can’t really afford to eat fatty fish on a regular basis, and I’m not a big fan of canned tuna. Once I run out of the bottle of capsules, I may switch over to plain cod liver oil, but I’m not entirely sure. I’ll probably see what the prices are for bottles of the cod liver oil my grandfather used to use when I was little when I go to Iceland and see whether it’s more cost effective to get it directly from a good source. It may not taste good, but it’s a good solution to the “can’t afford decent fatty fish on a regular basis” issue.

Well, as i say, cod liver oil is cheap. If you buy it in capsule form, it is expensive-somebody is getting very rich. By the way, is fresh fish a good source of vitamin C? Nobody mentions fishermen getting scurvey 9in the old days).

To stop the fish burps try putting them in the freezer. It works for me.

It doesn’t look like it from a quick scan, but then fishermen used not to stay at sea for long, anyway. They had to get their catch to market before it spoiled.

Being allergic to fish, I have been taking flax seed oil. Does anybody know if there are reasons to believe it to be less effective than fish oil?

Debate back and forth, but it seems that Flax is a Good source. Perhaps even safer.

Heart disease is common in areas of india, where coconut oil is used for cooking. Beware

Ralph,

The oil I take has 13.5 grams of saturated fat. It’s 100% organic, and I take 2 tbsp. a day. I will be keeping an eye on my cholesterol levels, so thanks for the warning. From what I have read however, coconut oil isn’t supposed to affect cholesterol.

Guess we’ll find out, huh? :slight_smile:

Thanks again!

Q

I bought a 4½ month supply at Sam’s Club for less than $9. I’ve been taking them for about a month, my blood pressure and cholesterol are lower, my mood has improved and I sleep better at night. They still give me pretty bad gas at times though.