Too much salmon/slamon oil?

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Carnivor0us
Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have recently discovered my incredible love for salmon. Specifically, wild sockeye and coho. In fact, I want to eat it almost everyday. It's not really a bad thing, but I also take fish oil supplements - can one actually consume too MANY Omega-threes? Isn't there supposed to be a balance of 6 and 3s, and if so how would one know if there's an imbalance? Can this actually hurt me in the long run? I know omega 6s promote inflammation, and omega threes are anti-inflammatory but since the immune response is inflammatory in general (I think) should I cool it on the fish? Or is this one of those things that I couldn't even start to consume enough to make a difference?

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  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
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    If you're already getting enough omega 3 from your diet, supplementing with more won't really do anything positive. If you're having salmon twice a week or more then there's not much point taking the supplements.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    If you're already getting enough omega 3 from your diet, supplementing with more won't really do anything positive. If you're having salmon twice a week or more then there's not much point taking the supplements.

    Yeah, I guess you're right.

    lol I bought the supplements before I discovered my love for salmon, so I guess I'll just use them up and not buy anymore.
  • junlex123
    junlex123 Posts: 81 Member
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    I'm the same, got a couple of bottles of capsules that I picked up on offer, I just take one if I've not had a decent source of omega 3 in my diet for a few days. Whether it is actually doing anything is debatable but makes me feel better!
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    The pills don't last long. I'd just take them.

    I recall reading The Perricone Prescription and he wanted you to eat salmon multiple times a day, for your skin health. Here's his 3-day diet, where you eat salmon for 3 meals.

    http://www.perriconemd.com/display.do?ruleID=100744

    I love wild sockeye, too. A couple times a month is plenty for me, though.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    The pills don't last long. I'd just take them.

    I recall reading The Perricone Prescription and he wanted you to eat salmon multiple times a day, for your skin health. Here's his 3-day diet, where you eat salmon for 3 meals.

    http://www.perriconemd.com/display.do?ruleID=100744

    I love wild sockeye, too. A couple times a month is plenty for me, though.

    Those pills also put me back $40 so I'm certainly going to finish them off! :) But I'm just a little concerned because I deliberately avoid omega 6-heavy foods and oils so I might be really imbalanced or something in that area.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    The only thing about too many omega 3 supplements is that they are a blood thinner. Some people cannot take them (people preparing for surgery for example).
    Most of our food has omega 6. IMHO fish oil is good in order to create a better ration of omega 3 and omega 6.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,925 Member
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    Omega 6's are not necessarily inflammatory. most are anti inflammatory and unless your consuming lots of supps I wouldn't worry too much.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    Omega 6's are not necessarily inflammatory. most are anti inflammatory and unless your consuming lots of supps I wouldn't worry too much.

    Oh, I didn't know that. Is it rancid oils that are inflammatory? Or is 'inflammatory' all in the balance of omegas? I really don't know.
  • BradWI
    BradWI Posts: 20 Member
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    Marks Daily Apple just did a post titled - "Why the Omega-3/Omega-6 Ratio May Not Matter After All"

    "It appears as if the problem with low ratios of omega-3 to omega-6 is the lack of omega-3, not so much the omega-6."

    "Americans get almost 70% of their PUFA (mostly omega-6) from oils, shortening, and margarine and just 6% from beans, seeds, and nuts, 1% from eggs, and 13% from meat, poultry, and fish as of 2004 (PDF). So when we talk about omega-6 intake, we’re really talking about french fries (cooked in vegetable oil), packaged pastries (made with shortening), and processed, high-sugar, high-(vegetable)fat junk food intake."


    TL;DR - eat salmon for Omega 3's, eat nuts for Omega 6's, avoid crap sources of Omega 6's and call it a day.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    I think if you are eating that much fish then save your $$ on the fish oil supplements.

    Also, Pacific Islanders eat fish most of their lives. They still exist.
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    I think if you are eating that much fish then save your $$ on the fish oil supplements.

    Also, Pacific Islanders eat fish most of their lives. They still exist.

    LOL yeah okay. After I finish this bottle, I'll ditch it and just eat the fish.
  • zoodocgirl
    zoodocgirl Posts: 163 Member
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    So far there hasn't been much evidence that you can get "too many" omega fatty acids - a dramatic upswing over a short period of time may cause temporary diarrhea but that's about it.

    The optimum balance of 3s to 6s depends upon the goal - 6s are considered "less anti-inflammatory" (but not necessarily pro-inflammatory) but have benefits for skin barrier function (this may be more important in pets with skin allergies than in people) while a high 3:low 6 ratio can significantly slow down the progression of osteoarthritis (this has been demonstrated in dogs and cats so far, unsure about people).

    Moral of the story - omegas are great for you. Eating too much fish, especially larger fish at the top of the food chain, may increase your risk for mercury and other environmental chemicals that accumulate, so you may want to keep your supplements and not overdo it on the actual salmon.

    And last, can we stop referring to Mark's Daily Apple like it's a credible scientific source?
  • Carnivor0us
    Carnivor0us Posts: 1,752 Member
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    So far there hasn't been much evidence that you can get "too many" omega fatty acids - a dramatic upswing over a short period of time may cause temporary diarrhea but that's about it.

    The optimum balance of 3s to 6s depends upon the goal - 6s are considered "less anti-inflammatory" (but not necessarily pro-inflammatory) but have benefits for skin barrier function (this may be more important in pets with skin allergies than in people) while a high 3:low 6 ratio can significantly slow down the progression of osteoarthritis (this has been demonstrated in dogs and cats so far, unsure about people).

    Moral of the story - omegas are great for you. Eating too much fish, especially larger fish at the top of the food chain, may increase your risk for mercury and other environmental chemicals that accumulate, so you may want to keep your supplements and not overdo it on the actual salmon.

    And last, can we stop referring to Mark's Daily Apple like it's a credible scientific source?

    I do give my cats salmon oil supps and I do see a difference with them. i don't eat like swordfish or the really big tunas or shark or anything like that. Also I thought the selenium in fish binds to the mercury or something (I dunno where I read that one) so it's not as bad as people say but I don't know.

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