Cy, DHA/EPA Dosage

Diet and Nutrition
1

Hi Cy,

JB once told me that when one says to take let’s say 5 grams of fish oil it means a total of 5 grams of fat regardless DHA/EPA concentration.
But I keep hearing from different sources like Dr.Lonnie Lowery and others refering to dosage in terms of DHA/EPA and it confuses me.

Can you please clear this up once and for all? For example. Take a look at this label http://www.iherb.com/rxomega31.html

If I would to take 5 total grams of fat then I need to take 5 capsules since one capsule has 1 gram of fat. But in terms of EPA/DHA it makes it 2000 mg EPA and 1000 mg DHA and I add them up then it makes it 3000 mg total.

What is the correct way to calculate this?

Thanks,
-Yustas

2

Yustas,

While I’m not Cy, nor is it a direct answer to your question, in a response I posted to you in another forum, the doasge was combined EPA/DHA not just total oil. I’ll copy the other post in case you didn’t see it.

Upon further review…

I found a study, Am J Clin Nutr. 2003 Jan:77(1); 37-42., that looked into the relationship of supplementing with Fish oils and GLA and measured the response on blood lipids.

The two metabolic pathways utilized by these oils are competitive in nature and utilizing too much of one at the exclusion of the other can result in unwanted effects.

The study used different levels of each oil and compared results.

The 4g EPA/DHA 2g GLA group seemed to have the best result.

There is a link to the free full text article.

Take care,

Ryan

3

Thank you Dr.Ryan I didn’t see this in your other post.

4

[quote]yustas wrote:
Hi Cy,

JB once told me that when one says to take let’s say 5 grams of fish oil it means a total of 5 grams of fat regardless DHA/EPA concentration.
But I keep hearing from different sources like Dr.Lonnie Lowery and others refering to dosage in terms of DHA/EPA and it confuses me.

Can you please clear this up once and for all? For example. Take a look at this label http://www.iherb.com/rxomega31.html

If I would to take 5 total grams of fat then I need to take 5 capsules since one capsule has 1 gram of fat. But in terms of EPA/DHA it makes it 2000 mg EPA and 1000 mg DHA and I add them up then it makes it 3000 mg total.

What is the correct way to calculate this?

Thanks,
-Yustas[/quote]

Yustas,

That was a correct calculation.

As for clearing things up. Well, for me to assume my opinion is “definitive” between the recommendations of Dr. JB and Dr. LL, I’d have to be one cocky SOB and very much out of line.

I can tell what I personally use, which is right around 3 grams of DHA/EPA daily. It’s a dosage I’ve been using for the past year and one abstract made me feel better that I was consuming that particular amount. Herz. 2004 Nov;29(7):673-685.

I would however, stick to their (LL and JB’s) recommendations if they differ from my personal use.

Hope that helps.