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Omega 3 fish oil, EPA and DHA, ALA, vegan omega 3 … why, what and how much to consume?

omega 3

How Much Omega 3 Fish Oil Should I Take and What Are the Benefits of Omega 3 Fatty Acids?

Thera are many different  recommendations about how much omega 3 fats we should consume and the recommendations vary from 250 mg to 4 grams per day. it is good to understand that  250 g is an absolute minimum and not an optimal amount.  An adult should consume at least 1 gram of omega 3 fats ( EPA + DHA ) per day. However, various health problems can significantly increase this amount.

The American Heart Association recommends a daily amount of 2-4 grams of EPA+DHA to maintain a normal level of triglycerides or fats in the blood. This recommendation is followed by health authorities of many other countries. The Food Safety Authority of the European Union (EFSA) has made a similar conclusion that 2 grams of omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA per day helps maintain normal blood triglyceride levels. This is an official EFSA endorsed statement. Such an amount of EPA and DHA is easily obtained by taking two gelcaps of WHC Labs Unocardio 1000 of X2 products, as one gelcap contains 1 gram of EPA+ DHA.

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND that this recommendation does not mean that we should simply take 1-2 grams of fish oil per day. Most fish oils contain only 30% EPA and DHA, and the rest is unnecessary or harmful to us. Therefore, we should find out from the package label how much EPA and DHA is contained in the offered product and from this we can conclude what the real quality of the product is as well as calculate it’s  real price per gram of EPA+DHA.

The higher the EPA and DHA content in the capsule, the less you need to take them. In addition, products with a high omega 3 content contain less other fats and substances that are not good for us.

The European Commission has approved 9 health claims or beneficial effects that can be officially used for omega-3 products containing EPA and DHA:

*EPA and DHA contribute to normal heart function (at least 250 mg EPA and DHA per day)

*DHA and EPA help to maintain a normal level of triglycerides in the blood (at least 2 g of EPA and DHA per day)

*DHA and EPA help keep blood pressure at a normal level (at least 3 g of EPA and DHA per day)

*DHA helps maintain normal brain function (at least 250 mg DHA per day)

*DHA helps maintain normal vision (at least 250 mg DHA per day)

*DHA helps maintain normal blood triglyceride levels (at least 2 g DHA per day)

*DHA consumed by the mother contributes to the normal development of the brain of the fetus or breastfed infant by consuming 200 mg of DHA per day in addition to the 250 mg of EPA+DHA recommended for adults. ( that is a total of at least 450 mg EPA + DHA ).

*DHA consumed by the mother contributes to the normal development of the eyes of the fetus or breastfed infant by consuming 200 mg of DHA per day in addition to the 250 mg of EPA+DHA recommended for adults. (once again a total of at least 450 mg EPA + DHA ).

*DHA contributes to normal development of vision in infants up to 12 months of age if the daily intake of DHA is 100 mg.

Fatty fish is known to contain omega-3 fatty acids. Why should I use a fish oil supplement?

Yes, indeed fatty fish and the oil made from it contain the healthy omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. European health authorities recommend eating fish (preferably fatty fish) twice a week.

Unfortunately, fish may contain excessive amounts of heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, arsenic, lead), plant protection agents, dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs, and furans. That is especially true for fish caught in the Baltic Sea. Fish acquire these compounds from the environment mainly through the skin and gills. Therefore, when eating fish, the skin should always be avoided. It would also be advisable to eat small fish (anchovies, sardines and mackerel, flounder, herring), because suh fish has a shorter lifespan and usually contains less harmful substances than large fish. Many large fish such as swordfish, tuna, king mackerel, sailfish, etc., contain a large amount of mercury or other heavy metals and therefore should definitely not be eaten during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Simlarly, Baltic Sea salmon and, in fact, other fish accumulate environmental toxins, and eating them should definitely be limited.

So, due to the accumulation of various pollutants, pregnant and lactating women should limit their diet and can eat ONLY ONE portion of tuna (fresh or canned), wild salmon or Baltic herring per week.

And that’s why it’s much safer to use a high-quality omega-3 fish oil supplement than to eat large amounts of fish. The best fish oil products are very clean and are also constantly tested for heavy metals and contaminants.

I don’t like or want to use fish because I’m vegan. Do vegetable oils such as linseed, chia or hemp oil not contain enough omega-3?

Vegetable oils contain ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), a different type of omega-3 fatty acid, they do not contain EPA or DHA. ALA is useful, but we need adequate amounts of EPA and DHA. Our body can only convert 0.2-8% of the ALA we eat into the EPA form and only 0.05% or even less into the DHA form, depending on many factors.

This is clearly too little, even if we were to eat huge amounts of beneficial plant oils. And that’s why we need to get enough EPA and DHA from food or supplements.

The only real alternative to fish-derived supplements are alage derived omega-3 supplements, which contain both EPA and DHA. Yes, they are more expensive because they are more complicated to produce, but they have many health benefits for vegans. WHC Labs Unocardio Vegan has the highest EPA and DHA content of the vegan omega-3 oils available in the world today.

Is cod liver oil useful? It also contains omega-3 fatty acids.

Yes, cod liver oil contains both EPA and DHA, about 190 mg per gram of oil, or 19%.  However, pregnant women should definitely not consume cod liver oil, because cod liver oil contains too large amounts of vitamin A and vitamin D. Vitamin A and vitamin D can be harmful to the fetus in large amounts.

Therefore, it would be advisable to choose an omega-3 fish oil that is NOT made from fish liver for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

All other people should also note that 1 gram of cod liver oil per day is the maximum amount that must not be exceeded. In addition, the liver is an organ that also cleans the body of fish from waste products, and many unhealthy things can accumulate there.

1 gram of cod liver oil contains 100% of the recommended daily amount of vitamins A and D (RDA). However, it only has 190 mg of EPA and DHA, which is clearly too little.

But why should I take omega-3 or fish oil at all? I prefer pure butter or omega enriched margarine instead. You can also fry and bake with it. Isn’t that enough?

Butter contains saturated fats, but it is perfectly good for frying, especially clarified butter or ghee. However, margarine is much worse, it contains trans fats. Eating large amounts of saturated fat, especially trans fats, increases the risk of heart and blood vessel disease and also increases the risk of certain types of cancer. We can get different fats from butter or cooking oils and our bodies already get too much of these fats, but we certainly don’t get EPA or DHA from butter or margarine.

How to use and store healthy oils?

Omega-3 oils and other cold-pressed oils should not be heated.  Heating and oxidation break down fats, and this is certainly the case with frying, for example. So it is not recommended to fry with olive oil, which contains other healthy fats. Olive oil breaks down when heated to 190 degrees Celsius. It can be used for other types of lower temperature cooking.

Upon heating, omega-3 fats lose their health benefits and can become harmful. The same happens with prolonged exposure to atmospheric oxygen. Oxidation of omega-3 fats can produce carcinogenic compounds.

This is also the reason why omega-3 packaged in capsules is clearly better than omega 3 oil in a bottle. As soon as the bottle is opened, oxidation begins and the quality of the oil decreases with each subsequent day – the oil becomes rancid when exposed to air.

How much omega-3 is safe to consume?

A daily amount of up to 5 grams of EPA+DHA is well tolerated. The European Union Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says that 5 grams of EPA+DHA is safe for adults for long-term use.

This should be considered the maximum dose. When consumed in larger amounts, omega-3 starts to affect blood clotting.

The only known interaction of omega-3 with drugs is while using anticoagulants (blood thinners), because omega-3 fatty acids strengthen their effect.

EFSA says that up to 5g EPA+DHA is also a safe amount in this case, but a good recommendation would still be to consult a doctor beforehand or consume a smaller dose.

 

KASULIKKU LUGEMIST

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