Experts agree that fish oil is a significant source of Omega 3 fatty acids and also an essential part of your diet. Recommended dosages can vary whether you are young or old, healthy or suffer from cardiac disease.
At this point if you are trying to find what dosage is right for you than you agree that the omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil are extremely beneficial to your health and need to be in your diet.
Vitamins You Should Take Daily
There are really only 2 ways you are able to get omega 3 fatty acids, eating the proper foods and in a quality fish oil supplement.
The problem that people run into is finding foods with the proper ratio of EPA and DHA. EPA and DHA are omega 3 fatty acids that have been proven to be the most beneficial in treating ailments such as cardiac disease, reducing inflammation, memory function, weight loss, vision, and boosting your immune system.
If you are eating fish as your daily source of omega 3's you need to be eating between 20-28 oz of deep water fatty fish such as mackerel, halibut, hoki, or salmon 3-4 times per week. Other foods and fish contain omega 3 but in lower amounts so you would need to eat more to get the most benefit.
Fish is also a healthy source of protein but too much fish from polluted waters could create exposure of too much toxins and impurities to your system. Not to mention a good fish fillet isn't very cheap and if you are eating it more than a few times per week it could create a dent in our budget.
Taking a high quality supplement is something that is much more convenient and affordable. There are no concrete guidelines for the proper dosage so it can be difficult to know how much to take.
For a healthy adult it's recommended to take between 2-3 grams of fish oil per day that contain a combination of EPA and DHA. This equals to about 2-3 soft gel tablets per day. However, if you are taking fish oil to lower your overall cholesterol, regulate glucose levels or other cardiac ailments, the amount can be altered to 3-4 times per day under proper supervision of a doctor.
If you are pregnant you should discuss with your OBGYN what the proper fish oil dosage should be. Children are also able to take fish oil but should not take more than 100-200 mg per day.
Also if you are taking anti-coagulant prescription medications they should not be combined with large amounts of fish oil. This could affect the clotting process in your blood. This also needs to be discussed with your physician.