Search for wellness enhancements with nutrition, supplements, and exercise. We help you reduce medication dependence and achieve ideal health.
Omega 3 Fish Oil
Maroon and Bost evaluated the questionaire results of 125 subjects to assess how well fish oil compared to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDSs) for control of their neck and back pain. Patients took omega-3 fish oil at doses of 1200-2400 mg for an average of 75 days. Out of the subjects that responded, 59% stopped taking NSAIDSs, 60% noted lesser degree of joint pain, 60% had lower pain overall, and 80% expressed they had favorable results. (4)
Omega-3 fish oil adverse reactions and interactions:
A total of 10 studies were reviewed by Villani AM et al to determine potential serious adverse effects of fish oil at a dose of under 1.86 grams per day (5). It was found that there were no serious adverse effects reported in 994 adults over 59 years of age and other non-serious adverse effects were not significantly different from placebo (5).
Fish oil has been reported to affect platelet aggregation, reduce vitamin K dependent factors which may be associated with an increased anticoagulation (reduce blood clotting) effect. Consumption should be avoided when taking anticoagulants like aspirin, warfarin, or ticlopidine because of the potential increased risk of bleeding (6).
A case of a 67-year old woman taking warfarin (1.5 mg/day), an increase in her fish oil intake from 1 g/day to 2 g/day was associated with an increase in time for blood to clot as measured by the international normalized ratio (INR) which went from 2.8 to 4.3 within 1month, and decreased to 1.6 after the fish oil dose was reduced (7).
An intake of 6 grams per day of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found no significant difference found in blood coagulation, platelet function, or thrombotic parameters including prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, antithrombin-III levels, and platelet aggregation (8).
Fish oil may contain harmful contaminants such as heavy metals including mercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This risk can be reduced by purchasing fish oil that has undergone a purification process specified on the label (approved by the FDA, EPA, or US Pharmacopeia) (9)
References:
1.Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E after myocardial infarction: results of the GISSI-Prevenzione trial. Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto miocardico. Lancet. 1999; 354: 447–455. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10465168
