What are Omega-3 fatty acids?

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fish oil and some plant/nut oils.  Fish oils include both DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid).  Nuts and some vegetable oils (such as canola, soybean, flaxseed, and olive oil) contain ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). 

Benefits:

Fish oil has been shown in many studies to benefit many conditions, including high blood pressure, high triglycerides, infant eye and brain development, and even possibly preventing some cancers and treating behavior and mood disorders, such as ADHD and depression. 

Fish oil contains vitamin D, of which many people are deficient.  Click here for more information.

Dosing:

No standard recommended dose for fish oil exists currently.  Fish oil is available in capsule, chewable, and liquid formulations.  Finding a flavor that suits a child is important.

Many health care professionals recommend 1000 mg DHA+EPA daily for children and 2000mg daily for an adult. 

Other recommendations are based on weight:

Infants 1-18 months: 32mg/pound EPA+DHA (for instance a 20 pound baby= 32 mg x 20 pounds= 640 mg) per day

Children 1.5-15 yrs: 15mg/pound EPA+DHA per day

Adults:  500 mg EPA+DHA (minimum 220mg EPA and 220mg DHA) per day

Lactating women:  300 mg DHA per day

For an antidepressant effect in adolescents/adults:  1000 mg EPA + 500 mg DHA per day

Risks:

Fish oils can increase bleeding, so anyone with a family history of bleeding disorder should discuss fish oils with their physician prior to starting regular fish oil supplements.  Also, prior to any planned surgery or dental work fish oil should be discontinued for at least 2 weeks.

Some species of fish carry a higher risk of environmental contamination, such as with methylmercury.  The mercury tends to accumulate in the muscle of fish, and very little is found in the oil, so it appears that taking fish oil is safer than ingesting large quantities of fish.

Fish oil contains vitamins A and D, so additional supplements with these vitamins may lead to overdose.  In addition, long term supplementation with fish oil might lead to deficiency of vitamin E.  Intermittent supplementation of vitamin E or routine dietary sources of vitamin E (wheat germ, almonds, sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, peanuts, spinach, and brococoli) is recommended.

Anyone with an allergy to fish should avoid fish oil.  People with a nut allergy should avoid products made from nuts.

Indigestion, heartburn, fishy taste in mouth, and diarrhea are common gastrointestional complaints with starting fish oil.  Taking smaller doses initially and building up to a full dose often helps these symptoms.  Using pharmacy grade purified fish oils may also ease some of the fish aftertaste.