Fish Oil: Liquid vs. Caps/Pills

I’m a big fan of fish oil. I’ve been using for over a year now, and love it.

I had been taking Carlson’s brand fish oil in liquid form from the beginning. Recently, I ran out of it, and decided I might try fish oil caps instead.

I’m taking the same amount as before (about 3-4 combined grams of EPA+DHA a day).

My concern is that the caps are not as effective as the liquid form. The caps I bought are fairly high quality (about 50% EPA+DHA).

What made me think that they might not be as effective or easily absorbed is that my shoulders ache and feel a bit looser. I’ve had shoulder surgery on both of shoulders, and I had read that fish oil is good for inflammation (among a host of other things).

Well, the research rang true for me; fish oil definitely took away the aching and got me off of Advil and/or Mobic (a gnarly anti-inflam. drug).

Any insight? Does the body more quickly, effectively (other?) process or absorb liquid fish oil versus caps? Is Flameout as good as a liquid form? Any one else with similar experiences?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[quote]youngun wrote:
I’m taking the same amount as before (about 3-4 combined grams of EPA+DHA a day).
[/quote]

How much EPA are you taking? I need 3 grams of just EPA to keep my joints in check.

The lemon flavored fish oil from Carlson’s has 800mg per teaspoon. Read the labels. How much EPA were you getting from the liquid vs. how much you’re getting from your pills.

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote: How much EPA are you taking? I need 3 grams of just EPA to keep my joints in check.

The lemon flavored fish oil from Carlson’s has 800mg per teaspoon. Read the labels. How much EPA were you getting from the liquid vs. how much you’re getting from your pills.[/quote]

I don’t have a bottle of Carlson’s, so I’m not sure. I used to take 3 teaspoons of the stuff a day, and I remember it was more than enough combined EPA and DHA. I was taking the lemon-flavored stuff, too.

Here’s what the back panel says:

Fish Body Oils (marine lipid concentrate): 1200 mg
provides EPA: 400 mg
DHA: 300 mg

I don’t think this stuff is good enough. So, I’m debating on whether to get some Carlson’s in liquid of cap form, or to get Flameout. And, like I was asking, as well, I don’t know if liquid is better than caps. Thanks!

[quote]youngun wrote:

I don’t have a bottle of Carlson’s, so I’m not sure. I used to take 3 teaspoons of the stuff a day[/quote]

You were getting 2.4 grams in EPA alone. (each tsp has 800mg of EPA).

There is no difference between liquid and caps. If you have a different brand, purity might be an issue.

I use Carlson’s and Flameout. Flameout does not have nearly enough EPA for guys like us. So I usually take 4 caps of Flameout a day and 8-12 caps (or 2-3 tsp) of Carlson’s. The only reason I take Flameout is because DHA has been linked to improved cognitive performance. In my job, I need every boost I can get.

Granted, that’s a lot of money for fish oil. But it’s worth it to me to be mostly pain free. (And it’s also cheaper getting fish oil via pills vs. buying salmon, which is really expensive out here.)

In your case, if you’re on a limited fish oil budget, stick with Carlson’s.

Thanks for your help. I think I’m gonna go back to Carlson’s. I might try to capsules this time because they are far easier to travel with. Thanks, CalLaw.