Are There Dangers With Fish Oil?
Generally speaking, no. But there are a few concerns people need to be aware of. One is possible rancidity of fish oil, and the side effect of blood thinning.
Rancidity: - While the benefits of fish oil can't be refuted, on the flip side is spoiled, or rancid fish oil. Being a highly unsaturated fat, fish oil is extremely vulnerable to oxidation; this is the reason the fish in your fridge is only good for a few days, max. Free radicals LOVE unsaturated fatty acids, just like your 18 year old cousin LOVES going across the border to Tijuana to get hammered. It's not a good thing, and it's kinda scary.
When fish oil become rancid, it becomes a
lipid peroxide; this turns a potentially helpful supplement into a harmful one. That last thing we need to do as athletes is add to our free radical load, especially with peroxides. So how does one avoid this? A number of ways:
- Make sure the fish oil capsules you buy are of quality, and properly foil-sealed when you first open it.
- Make sure the liquid fish oil you buy is in an opaque GLASS bottle and properly sealed when you first open it.
- Put your fish oil in the fridge; with capsules, another option is to place them in the freezer. This will prolong the shelf life, as well as prevent oxidation.
- Bite into your fish oil capsules. Yes, I mean it. This is tell you exactly how fresh your capsules are, and if they are rancid, you will know it right away. Fresh fish oil will be clear, particulate-free, and tastes mildly fishy, as one would expect. Rancid fish oil tastes like licking the bottom of a garbage dumpster in central New York. Biting into capsules is recommended by the highly respected Dr Michael Eades, author of Protein Power, and our very own and highly respected poster Sonny.
There's also been some studies done regarding fish oil intake and vitamin E; because of the potential for fish oil to oxidize, even in the blood, some have suggested that vitamin E be ingested along with fish oil. Other studies have shown a synergistic (enhanced) effect, and even others have shown a decrease in blood levels of vitamin E. Many manufacturers will combined fish oil and vitamin E to act as a preservative, so this may be a completely moot point.
Excessive Bleeding - Fish oil directly affects the blood platelets in a similar manner to acetylsalicyclic acid (Aspirin); it causes platelet aggregation inhibition, or in layman's terms, causes the blood to become "less sticky". It's not a blood thinner per se, but more like a blood slicker.
So is this an issue with athletes, specifically ones involved in contact sports like TMAs and MMAs? Probably not. To date, there's been no record of problems with excessive contusions, intracranial hemorrhage, or uncontrolled bleeding from taking fish oil. On the flip side, if one is taking ASA and/or prescription anticoagulants in combination with fish oil, I'd seriously consider a non-contact sport and having your physician keep a close watch on your blood coagulation profile.
Raising LDL - Taking a quality fish oil supplement CAN cause a potential rise in your LDL level, but one must understand why before one freaks out like a 12 year old girl at a canceled Backstreet Boys concert.
In regards to fish oil intake and raising LDL, the actual method of calculating LDL is at fault, and varying levels of HDL, shifts in IDL and VLDL to LDL, and triglycerides all play a factor. The current and commonly used method of calculating LDLD is just that---a calculation, not a specific measurement. Furthermore, it only calculates overall LDL, and not a specific type---there are 7 different subclasses of LDL, with VLDL being one of the few that's actually harmful. If your physician doesn't know this, and recommeds you stop taking fish oil based on your LDL level, I would highly suggest a second opinion from a more knowledgeable physician.
"Fish oil is a very effective method to clear IDL and VLDL, though sometimes it also causes a shift of some IDL and VLDL into the LDL class. Thus, the apparent increase in LDL."
- Dr William Davis, Cardiologist
How Much Should I Take?
There's a lot of variation in opinion on this; some recommend low doses in the range of 900mg EPA/DHA, others opt for extremely high doses of over 10g; Tolson recommends between 1-4g, and Berardi between 3-6g.
Many of the regular posters who frequent this board take approximately 3g daily; this would translate into 10 capsules of 180/120 strength. So at 300mg of combined EPA and DHA (get it? 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA would equal 300mg combined EPA/DHA) per capsule, you'd have to take 10 a day. Break 'em up into 2 caps 5 times a day, or 3 caps morning/noon, 2 caps supper/bed, or whatever. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure that part out.
Related Links and Articles
Fish Oil Supplement Profile - David Tolson. Explanations on how fish oil works in body comp, cardiovascular disease, depression, and recommended dosages.
Fishy Advice, Part 1 - Eric Cressey. Cites studies and stats on the benefits of fish oil in specific diseases.
Fishy Advice, Part 2 - Eric Cressey. Continuation of above.
Oil Of Pisces - Website that reports on fish oil and specific disease processes.
Poliquin On Fish Oil And My Own Personal Experience - A Sherdog thread started by Sonny with excellent discussion
American Heart Association on Fish Oil - PDF article. Cred to Sonny for posting this originally.
Essential Fatty Acids - Normally, Wikipedia is a risky source of info, but this link gives a good layout of EFAs, with links to omega-3 and omega-6 listings.
American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition Study on Fish Oil and Exercise, full PDF - Well controlled study on the effects of fish oil and exercise.