Question on fish oil dosing...

[joecski]

Fish Oil - the least sexy supplement

I have seen posts where daily dosage ranges from 2 grams on up. I recently read a report in the Orlando Sentinel a few Sundays past where a doctor had his patient taking 15 grams a day to aid his recovery, I can't find a link. With that in mind, I was wondering how everyone doses fish oil.

I have been dosing 2400 mgs three times a day with meals for a few weeks. EPA is 432mg and DHA is 288. I wanted to see how this compares before upping the dosage.

[xjsynx]

I aim for 6 grams daily.

Here is what Charles Poliquin says

Fish oil. I was first introduced to fish oil twelve years ago by my friend Mauro DiPasquale. I was over at his house and he had fish oil on the counter. I asked him what he used it for and he said, "Charles, this is the most important supplement ever."

He told me to go to Medline and punch in any disease known to man and the words "fish oil" beside it. He challenged me to find a study that didn't show how fish oil could benefit in the treatment of any disease. I gave up after 86 studies!

Why is it so beneficial? It's in our genes. Humans used to consume 300-400 grams of omega-3s per week. If we consume more than two grams a day now it's considered a lot.

There was a study published four years ago that showed that if the US government issued three grams of fish oil per day to American citizens, then the amount of cancer and heart disease would go down by 50% within one year. Most readers don't care about cancer and heart disease, but they may care about this: the biggest limiting factor in naturally training people to getting lean and adding muscle is the consumption (or lack thereof) of omega-3s.

Looking at the body structure of cavemen, they had a lot of muscle mass compared to modern man. They got their omega-3s through the meats they ate. Now, they often ate what the predators left. For example, a lion will eat an antelope from the gut on, so what's left is the skull and long bones. Primitive man would break the skull open and eat the brains. Brains are 60% fat, and 60% of that is DHA, the omega-3. What they've found is that the more brain-sucking was going in those populations, the faster the IQ went up.

Primitive man would also break the bones of the prey and suck the marrow, also rich in omega-3, DHA particularly. DHA is the omega-3 most responsible for brain development while EPA is most associated with reducing inflammation.

My athletes would often recognize each other when sitting around a table because those I'd be training would break out the fish oil during the meal. That's how I got the nickname "the fish oil guy" among athletes. But that's also how I get people so lean so fast.

Anyone who wants to put on muscle and lose fat should be on 30-45 grams of fish oil per day. That's just three tablespoons of fish oil. It would be a pain in the ass with capsules though because that's around 45 capsules per day, but it's easy with a straight oil.

[Australian made]

I aim for 6 grams daily.

Here is what Charles Poliquin says

have you ever tried 30-45 grams per day like he mentions?

[xjsynx]

have you ever tried 30-45 grams per day like he mentions?

No I haven't.

I take 6g daily.

[nycste]

i am gone up to about 15-20 with a normal of 12.. interesting if anyone has gone above 20-25-50 please let us know how well your gas smells :P

[joecski]

have you ever tried 30-45 grams per day like he mentions?

This is one of the reasons I started this thread. Studies are all over the board on recommended dosages,and I wanted some real world feedback. Thanks.

[xjsynx]

This is one of the reasons I started this thread. Studies are all over the board on recommended dosages,and I wanted some real world feedback. Thanks.

That is what Charles Poliquin provides, and why I listed his recommendation.

[joecski]

That is what Charles Poliquin provides, and why I listed his recommendation.

I appreciate it!

[JJC]

Damn, 30-45 grams of fish oil a day? I would really like to try this. Do you think people would be interested in seeing results from this?

[xjsynx]

Damn, 30-45 grams of fish oil a day? I would really like to try this. Do you think people would be interested in seeing results from this?

Oh yeah. I think Joe was going to give 30g a shot. I might too, when I can buy some liquid fish oil

[Zombie]

i also take 6 gm every day

3 with breakfast and 3 with dinner/postworkout meal

[joecski]

Oh yeah. I think Joe was going to give 30g a shot. I might too, when I can buy some liquid fish oil

Whenever I have time to get to a store I'm picking up some liquid fish oil and giving it a go. I don't want to have to take 30 caps a day though...

[JJC]

Whenever I have time to get to a store I'm picking up some liquid fish oil and giving it a go. I don't want to have to take 30 caps a day though...

haha yeah that is a bit much...best of luck with this. Keep a log, I would definitely be watching.

[kabuki]

i take 12-15g daily.

thats 3g with 4-5 meals

[xjsynx]

i take 12-15g daily.

thats 3g with 4-5 meals

What is up Kabuki?

How is the Diesel Test treating you?

[kabuki]

What is up Kabuki?

How is the Diesel Test treating you?

rocked! all done now. Set numerous PR's during 3rd and 4th week of my PCT...630bench, 660 raw dead, and a 755 squat. definetly my plan on how to handle PCT in future. i will likely be running a few more cycles of it.

[xjsynx]

rocked! all done now. Set numerous PR's during 3rd and 4th week of my post cycle therapy...630bench, 660 raw dead, and a 755 squat. definetly my plan on how to handle PCT in future. i will likely be running a few more cycles of it.

I opted for T-Force, but I will have take a look at DT next time.

[joecski]

Having trouble finding liquid fish oil. I went to four stores, no luck, including a GNC. I am going to try a health food store and see what I can find. I did find cod liver oil, but it is crazy expensive to dose at 30 grams a day, a bottle would last three days at $10...

[kabuki]

coscto - 400g of concentrated fish oil caps for 9.99

[asianbabe]

I would be weary of taking 30g+ of fish oil a day.. just because it is good it doesn't mean you should necessarily go overboard with it.

I take 6 pills.

[kabuki]

^^^ agreed. i don't know what the point of taking 30/day would be.

i do however notice a big difference in my joints when i jumped it from 6 to 12. also did this to try and bring up my HDL levels a bit more.

[SwordBurn]

Hrmm...I just started taking NOW Omega-3...3g AM + 3g PM/daily...Should I...at least bump it to 6g AM + 6g PM for 12g daily?

[rpen22]

I actually don't take any fish oil. I did in the past, but I didn't notice a difference since stopping over a year ago.

[joecski]

I would be weary of taking 30g+ of fish oil a day.. just because it is good it doesn't mean you should necessarily go overboard with it.

I take 6 pills.

This is what I've been taking as well, six caps giving me like 7200mgs a day. I was just curious what everyone else was doing, any real world feedback. I have heard of others megadosing fish oil and reporting things like fat loss and skin clearing. The article by Poliquin suggest 30-45 grams a day. I am wondering if there are any negative sides to going this high, other than the extra calories.

[fritzer]

i take udo's 3-6-9... 24g a day. 1/2 my fat comes from this

[woolbeo]

I've tried 24-30g/day. It was not very pretty in the smell department. I had to shower after every dump or I smelt like a walking fish. I could only imagine what 60g/day would be like.

[yaknow]

you guys also have to remember a big part of hypertrophy is the inflammation response your body has to the damage you created while lifting and heavy amount of fish oil really reduces inflammation and will put your gains down as the response wouldnt be that big just look at x factor(arachidonic acid) the opposite of omega 3 which increases the response to inflamtion(the increased soreness seen by users) and x factor is probably the best non hormonal product out so unless ultimate health is your primary concern chill on the fish oil

[dhuge67]

I take 100 calories worth, about 5 times a day.

[Australian made]

I've tried 24-30g/day. It was not very pretty in the smell department. I had to shower after every dump or I smelt like a walking fish. I could only imagine what 60g/day would be like.

funny first post.

[ItsHectic]

i take 12-15g daily.

thats 3g with 4-5 meals

Really? and you dont feel like crap from it? do you take vitamin E?

[ReaperX]

Don't listen to Charles Poliquin. He also came up with the 'One Day Arm Cure' which supposedly adds 3/4" to your arms in one day. Not only is that absolutely absurd, but any type of gain will be due to pure inflammation from overtraining, or in that case 'excessive' overtraining.

30g+ is ridiculous.

[JJC]

30g+ is ridiculous.

I don't think 30g+ is ridiculous. If you simply replace the other fats in your diet with fats from fish oil, then you really are not changing a whole lot calories- and fats-wise.

30g of fish oil x 9 calories/gram = 270 calories

I think most people get more than 30 g of fat in their diet daily...

[ReaperX]

I get 50g of fat when I eat a 20piece chicken nuggets at Mcdonalds.

[bpmartyr]

I take 4-6 grams of 50% EPA/DHA daily.


Fish oil consumption is generally safe and well tolerated, with less adverse effects than other dietary oils. Doses equivalent to three times the FDA maximum safe dosage (which is 3 g EPA/DHA per day) appear to be safe in rats. The primary reported side effect is "fish burps" or a "fishy taste in the mouth," although this can depend on the product, and it is also commonly reported to only be a problem for the first few weeks of fish oil consumption. However there are a few more serious side effects that may be seen with high dose fish oil consumption which may warrant caution.

The first of these is that high doses of fish oil may decrease immune function (in opposition to lower intakes, which may enhance it). While this is beneficial in some autoimmune diseases it is not always desirable. For example, high amounts of fish oil may impair bacterial resistance. Modest doses, in the range of 1-2 g of EPA/DHA daily, do not appear to have a negative impact on immune function over 6 months. This effect may also be avoided with supplemental vitamin E. A second potential problem is increased lipid peroxidation, resulting in an increase in oxidative stress. However, this effect can also be remedied with vitamin E.

Another possible side effect is an increase in LDL cholesterol and a decrease in HDL cholesterol. The first of these effects can be seen with doses as low as 3.6 g/day in humans. However, LDL increase is generally less than 5%, and fish oil on balance has a very positive impact on the cardiovascular system. Since fish oil thins the blood, it may also increase the likelihood of bleeding, but it does not appear to do this at lower doses. 2-5 grams a day, even when combined with other blood thinners such as aspirin, do not appear to increase bleeding time, but intake over 20 grams a day will increase bleeding times. Other possible side effects of high or very high dose fish oil consumption reported in animals are increased liver and spleen weight, adverse effects on iron metabolism, and red blood cell deformities, but it is doubtful that these are relevant in moderate doses.

What all of this amounts to is, fish oil consumption in a healthy individual should probably be kept within a reasonable range, and additional supplementation with vitamin E is also a good choice. The amount of fish oil one takes should be dependent on both goals and the amount of EPA/DHA present in the fish oil. The optimal range for both safety and effectiveness in most healthy individuals is 1-4 g of EPA/DHA daily, and this amount shouldn't be exceeded without medical supervision. Most fish oils are standardized to 30% EPA/DHA, so this would be about 3-12 one gram caps daily. If the fish oil is standardized to a different amount the dosage should be changed accordingly, for example 2-8 caps of a 50% EPA/DHA product. Most of the benefits (other than possibly the change in body composition, for which there is presently little functional data) can be seen with 1-2 grams of EPA/DHA daily. Most fish oil capsules also contain vitamin E, but if they don't, a vitamin E supplement should be taken also.

[xjsynx]

I would be weary of taking 30g+ of fish oil a day.. just because it is good it doesn't mean you should necessarily go overboard with it.

I take 6 pills.

Could you elaborate?

[nycste]

someone send me 2 huge bottles of fish pills and ill do a 30g a day log. PLZZZZ SOMEONE SPONSER ME hhahaa

[beebab]

i noticed that i reeked of fish stench while supplementing w only 1800 mg a day. but that was taking small capsules spread evenly throughout the day, of 180 EPA/ 120 DHA.
I switched to GNC Ultra Strength Fish Oil at 840 mg fish oils a cap, taking one pill in the AM and one PM and the smell didn't reappear.

Fish oils do have a significant impact on the body though. My cholesterol dropped 20 pts since I started supplementing w fish oils last year, from 140 to 120 and my bp has been great. The only thing I'm afraid of is the fishy smell. I don't know how many times I hada wash my gym pants to get rid of the odor.

As a side note too, if you freeze fish oil capsules you won't get the fish burp. Or otherwise it'll be lessened.

[ItsHectic]

someone send me 2 huge bottles of fish pills and ill do a 30g a day log. PLZZZZ SOMEONE SPONSER ME hhahaa

If you take it no matter how **** you feel I will consider it, unless of course you start bleeding or develop scales on your skin. then you gota post photos in the log.

[nycste]

If you take it no matter how **** you feel I will consider it, unless of course you start bleeding or develop scales on your skin. then you gota post photos in the log.

as long as whatever is wrong isnt harmfull or helping me lose my job i would do it for an agreed upon amount of time.

[getswole]

I don't see any amount to actually hurt you,just a guess though,its just EFA's...YOU MIGHT BE STINKIN' IT UP LIKE AN ESKIMO IN AN IGLOO,but its just calories...at least its not empty calories....