Fish or Omega-3 in a capsule ?

Fish for a Feeding Friday ?

The September 2008 edition of The Johns Hopkins Medical Letter nicely and concisely summarizes advice on fish eating and Omega-3 supplementation from the American Heart Association.

The summary:

• Everyone should eat fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, anchovies and herring.Twice a week eat fish that has been baked or broiled i.e. NOT deep fried. About 4 ounces a serving. If it's salmon you are eating then that will get you about 1,800 mg of Omega-3 (specifically EPA and DHA). This would average out to around 250 mg of Omega-3 (EPA and DHA) a day.
• If you have had a heart attack then consult with your doctor about adding Omega-3 capsules to supplement your fish eating meals. The medical recommendation is to increase Omega-3 intake to around 1,000 mg of Omega-3 a day.
  
• If you have high triglycerides (and hence are at risk of Metabolic Syndrome as well as heart issues) then the medical recommendation is to go really high with Omega-3 - up to 4,000 mg of Omega-3 a day (if you are not at high risk of ulcer or hemorrhagic stroke). These high levels of Omega-3 are to try and reduce the triglyceride levels in the blood.

At one time it was thought that high intake of Omega-3 could increase the risk of bleeding. However the newsletter says that recent studies show that no such danger exists up to 7,000 mg of Omega-3 a day.

The medical advice is to increase Omega-3 intake but if you are planning to go above 3,000 mg of Omega-3 a day then you'd better have a medical discussion to look at all sides of your health.