Hi

I have read a bit about fish oils and how they contribute to quite a few benefits when losing fat.

I would like to take them for losing fat, joint health and overall health, but I'm confused as to what ratio to use.

At the moment I just take seven seas cod liver oil which has a ratio of
EPA 828mg
DHA 736mg
in 10ml of liquid.

I read an article on T nation http://www.t-nation.com/productInfo...?id=910074

It states that our diet used to consist of a ratio of 1 to 1 or 1 to 2, but now it's more like 20 or 30 to 1 of omega 6 to 3.

It says that this is not a healthy ratio and it needs to be balanced more.

The product they sell (flameout) is supposed to balance this ratio out, but it has an almost 3 to 1 ratio of omega 6 to 3.

If we are consuming more omega 6 to 3 in our diets why are they giving more omega 6 in there product.

I am probably overlooking something here, but I would like to clear this up, so I can understand a bit more.

Also is what i'm currently taking OK and how much should I take on a daily basis.

Many thanks.

Hi Gavin!

Barry Sears is one of the top fish oil researchers in the world and he recommends to take an ultra-refined EPA and DHA concentrate with an EPA/DHA of 2 to1 in a 60%concentration with an IFOS 5 star rating (IFOS = International Fish Oil Stardards). Your's doesn't meet this criteria. You wouldn't want to be supplementing with omega 6. Your diet provides the small amount of omega 6 your body requires. I highly suggest reading TOXIC FAT for a more detailed fish oil understanding.



The amount of Omega Rx you'd take daily depends upon your degree of wellness. It's explained in TOXIC FAT as follows (grams refer to total amount of EPA and DHA combined).

To maintain wellness, 2.5 g/day (4 caps; 1 teaspoon liquid).

For obesity, type 2 diabetes, or before starting a diet, 5 g/day (8 caps; 2 teaspoons liquid).

For chronic pain, 7.5 g/day (12 caps; 3 teaspoons liquid).

For existing neurological conditions 10 g/day (16 caps; 4 teaspoons liquid).

Thanks Sue for your advice.

If Omega 3 is what we should be supplementing with, can't I just buy individual Omega 3 and 6 and just take 2x as many Omega 3.

Did you understand what was writing in that T nation article.

They were stating that Omega 3 was what we needed, but the ingredients showed more Omega 6.

I also read that people that do resistance training a few times per week should use between 6 and 10g per day.

Thanks.

You're welcome Gavin!

Yes, I have an excellent understanding of it. I've been well informed on the topic for many years.

EPA and DHA are both omega 3 fats. EPA/DHA is not a ratio of omega 6/omega 3. EPA/DHA is a ratio of one omega 3 fat to another omega 3 fat. Perhaps you might be confusing two very different ratios.

You get all the omega 6 you need from the food in your diet. Omega 6 supplementation is overkill that will create inflammation.

You can just buy omega 3. That is what you're doing when you buy fish oil.

me again. Well I'm finally getting a hang on my blocks, but now I'm thinking of fish oil. How do I determine how much I should take?

Here are Dr. Sears' fish oil dosage recommendations from his most recently written book, TOXIC FAT (the grams refer to the total amount of EPA and DHA combined):


To maintain wellness, 2.5 g/day (4 caps; 1 teaspoon liquid).

For obesity, type 2 diabetes, or before starting a diet, 5 g/day (8 caps; 2 teaspoons liquid).

For chronic pain, 7.5 g/day (12 caps; 3 teaspoons liquid).

For existing neurological conditions 10 g/day (16 caps; 4 teaspoons liquid).

Gavin, flameout from Biostest has over 3g of Omega-3s per serving (2200 mg DHA + 880 mg EPA). Where are you getting that it has an Omega 6:3 ratio of 3-1?

hi Sue/Matthew.

I am getting it completely wrong. I assumed that Omega 6 was DHA and Omega 3 was EPA.

I now know from Sue's explanation that DHA and EPA are both from Omega 3.

What I would to know is how important is it to get a fish oil that has more DHA to EPA.

It seems that the majority is the other way around.

Is it OK to keep using the one I have for the time being until I can get my hands on The right stuff.

Thanks both.

Hi Gavin!

Whether you choose to continue to use the one you have is your decision. Ditto for the EPA and DHA composition of fish oil concentrate that you choose. The type of fish oil recommended for the Zone is the type that has been the most used in clinical studies. My opinion is that it would be most important to use the one which has the most published clinical study results to back it up.

This is a bit off topic, but while we are on the subject of fats...

I accidently bought regular cheese, not low fat, at the store the other day. I was planning on just counting that as the appropriate measure of my fat blocks when I eat the cheese, and just buy low fat next time.

That would be fine!

Sue,
4/09 you have the following line in your post:

"To maintain wellness, 2.5 g/day (4 caps; 1 teaspoon liquid)."

I don't understand your math. Currently, I am taking 4 capsules per day of the OmegaRx. Per the "Supplement Facts", four capsules should equal 4000 mg (or, 4 gram per day). But the line in your post indicates 4 capsules per day is the same as 2.5 grams per day.

What am I missing?
Thanks
Jeff, Lifelong Learner

Hi Jeff!

Barry Sears' dosage recommendations that I posted are expressed in grams of EPA and DHA combined.

Sue K, what a little angel!!!!

Thanks Chris! :-)

We came home yesterday and miss him already!

Hi Sue! Welcome back from your vacation, I've read some of your posts of your activities and sounds like you were having fun.

I remember reading in another post that the fish oil should be taken at the end of the supper meal.....is this correct? Currently, I divide my FO between the 3 big meals in the day....2 caps at breakfast, 3 at lunch and 3 at supper. But from what I read I should be taking all 8 capsules after supper? It seems like so much to take at once so wanted to clarify one more time before I make the change.
thanks

Thanks Jana!

FO can be taken at any time of day. Dr. Sears has said that when taken with the evening meal it can help prevent munchies in the evening, the endocannabinoid(sp?) effect. It's explained in the book TOXIC FAT. There's no need to split your daily FO dose because FO has a long half life (days, not hours), though if you want to split it, it's fine to keep taking it as you are.

I take mine in the morning with breakfast. I happen to be one of those people who doesn't sleep well when I take FO with the evening meal or later. My son has always taken it with his bedtime snack and sleeps fine (his dosage is currently a tablespoon or 12 capsules). Everyone's different. Do what works best for you.

Ok! Thanks for the speedy response Sue. I didn't realize that it sticks in your system so long (days), you are always so knowledgeable. Your new pic is great!

You're welcome! And thanks! :-)

Hi,
I just wanted to say that I have been taking Eico RX for 6 months and have lost 25lbs but the biggest difference even before the weight loss was my cholesterol. It went from 244 to 168 after only 1 month!

That's great Cathy! :-)

I've had amazing results with Omega Rx too. My high BP was eliminated with my first few doses and by a couple of weeks later my doctor had taken me completely off the two high BP meds I'd been taking (and both of those meds together had not even been controllng my high BP). My BP remains excellent, average around 107/68

I've come to the conclusion that there's something about the Eico Rx that my body doesn't like. Dropping down to 2/day didn't even work which is disappointing because I consider it kind of $$ and hate to waste it. I never had a problem with my pharmaceutical grade FO from the health food store and I'm wondering if the Omega Rx will be easier on my system than the EicoRx. It's kind of a pricey experiment. Well worth it if it works, but not so much when it doesn't. Any suggestions?

Lolly, can you explain more about "there's something about the Eico Rx that my body doesn't like"?

Thanks for responding, Sue. It seems to cause intestinal havoc, bloating; makes diverticulitis flare up. As soon as I would stop taking it, things would clear up, then begin again when I resumed the Eico. Maybe it's just coincidence, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I'm aware of diet impact too, but it sure seems like it's the FO that is the trigger. Thanks for your help!

Lolly, taking Sea Health Plus with your fish oil dose will usually resolve gastric problems if they are from the fish oil dose. If Omega Rx works better for you, stick with that together with Sea Health Plus.