Back in the day, people used to take their spoonful of codliver oil every day. My friend Susan thinks this was probably a good, healthy habit that we have now gotten rid of, generally speaking. Moreover, there’s a lot of talk I hear (as a mother of two little boys) about the benefits of fish oil. Maybe it’s good as preventative measure for: heart ailments; asthma; autism. What’s the scoop? Does anyone know if there’s any validity to this? They even sell cherry-flavored fish oil for children at our local fancy health-food store. If there is any validity to it, how much is an adult supposed to take on a daily basis? How about kids? Shari
You can get the same benefit from flax seeds, btw.
Mmmmm…
One recent meta-study found little benefit, but that it should “not be ruled out”. I guess the jury is still out.
My dietician said that the standard recommendation (YMMV, see your doctor, etc.) is 2000-4000 mg of combined EPA & DHA daily for adults. She also recommended fish oil rather than flax oil, since apparently your body needs to convert the ALA in flax oil to a more usable form.
I brought it up because it’s a good vegetarian option for those like me who don’t eat fish. 
Fish oil is one of the few supplements out there with scientific support for most of the claims about it. It’s definitely worth looking into.
The omega-3 composition of flax is similar but not exactly the same as fish oil. If you can’t/won’t eat fish for any reason, flax is a good source as long as you grind the seeds–like all other seeds, they really aren’t digested all that well.