Fish oil increasing cholesterol and suppress immune system??

[Gianluca Bonetti]

I was searching on consumerlab.com for a new and less expensive fish oil and I started reading about it, on the concern and cautions section consumerlab says, based on FDA recommendation, not to ingest more then 3gr of the combination of EPA/DHA to which max 2gr should be coming from supplement, because such a high dose may suppress the immune system, reading on examinate.com they say fish oil can also raise cholesterol, I mean really?? I thought fish oil would be helpful to lower cholesterol and for the immune system, I'm confused, I guess those researches are made from pharmaceutical companies??

 

[Vince]

That's a pretty funny statement, I wonder who thought that up.

 

[chrismez]

I've been taking 4gm daily of prescription fish oil for years. my cholesterol is totally fine. No reason to buy expensive fish oil in the store. Have your doc prescribe it. I get 360 gel caps (3 months worth) for $15 co pay through my insurance...

 

[MikeXL]

Yes Fish oil in excess can lower immunity. It also can cause bleeding risks. Nothing funny about the statement. And no it is not a conspiracy from Big Bad Pharama. In fact, Pharma sell fish oil.

Every compound has pluses and minuses. Natural aficionados have no problem recommending FO for autoimmune diseases. And how does it help autoimmune disease? By dampening the immune system that is how. However, trials on Rheumatoid Arthritis and IgA Nephropathy have used huge doses. So there is a safety factor built in to the 3 gram maximum

That said, the cardiovascular and other benefits of FO happen at much lower levels. So a max of 3G shouldn't upset anyone. BTW - the 3G is 3G of the EPA amount + DHA amount. This would equate to ten 1G standard pills that contain 180mg EPA and 120mg DHA (180+120) X10

The effect on cholesterol is minimal. It can slightly raise LDL. This effect is minor and inconsistent. Even more minor is its HDL raising effect. FO at 4 G can lower Tris by 40%.

So Keep Calm and Take FO

 

[Gianluca Bonetti]

interesting, so let's say 3-4gr of the combined EPA/DHA would be the safe upper limit, I have read of people taking up to 6gr expecially when high HCT, so that is not a good deal, especially long term

 

[Vince]

Fish oil – how does it reduce plasma triglycerides? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3563284/

 

[Vince]

High-dose fish oil does lower my platelets, I do have my platelets checked every 6 months. Dry red wine and aspirin will also lower platelets.
I do know people who are ApoE4 and some of them can't use high-does fish oil for improving their lipid panel.

 

[Vince]

Does APOE Genotype Modify the Relations Between Serum Lipid and Erythrocyte Omega-3 Fatty Acid Levels?
http://ht.ly/urPvo

 

[Vince]

Effect of sex and genotype on cardiovascular biomarker response to fish oils: the FINGEN Study1,2,3
In conclusion, in contrast to what had been previously thought, the plasma lipid–modulating effects of LC n−3 PUFA are evident at doses as low as 0.7 g/d. At a population level, the overall clinical significance of the 0–10% TAG, cholesterol, and HDL and LDL size changes may be modest, but, for certain persons, such as males with an APOE4 genotype (≈11% of whites), the lipid-modulatory effects observed at these EPA-DHA doses are likely to have a significant effect on CVD risk. Furthermore, in an era when we are moving away from generic dietary advice toward a more personalized approach to nutritional advice (53), there is a great need to establish the various responses to treatment in population subgroups, as has been conducted in the current trial. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/88/3/618.full#SEC3

 

[Gianluca Bonetti]

thank you Vince

 

[Gamnc]

This is why I take fish oil. My triglycerides can run high, but my LDL and HDL are always off. Fish oil controls the triglycerides without Statins.

 

[madman]

Wild salmon/sardines......................natures perfect balance dha/epa plus a dose of healthy monos to boot! Understand that everyone does not take a liking to fish but I would rather get my dha/epa from whole food sources as oppose to supplements!

 

[Gianluca Bonetti]

Agree, down side fish contain lots of metals and pollution, probably a safer way to get EPA/DHA is fish oil supplement, or At least what i believe

Wild salmon/sardines......................natures perfect balance dha/epa plus a dose of healthy monos to boot! Understand that everyone does not take a liking to fish but I would rather get my dha/epa from whole food sources as oppose to supplements!