Re: Fish oils and Th17 cells - follow-up question

[Guest guest]

My understanding is that most fish oils will be mercury safe because

of the way they remove it from the fish; I THINK that as long as the

manufacturer follows " GMP " ( " good manufacturing practices " ) they

should be removing mercury and other contaminants during the

processing. If you check the various brands' websites a lot of them

actually advertise how safe they are - i'm thinking GNC and that

Nordic Naturals brand specifically.

I have a follow-up question for all the scientists out there - what

ratio, ideally, should we be looking for in terms of DHA:EPA. I know

there was some discussion a while back about getting as high a

proportion of DHA to EPA as possible and my husband currently takes

something that is really drastically weighted towards DHA (EPA: 90 mg,

DHA: 450 mg, Other Omega-3s: 40 mg, Vitamin E: 15 IU). Should I

switch him to something with higher levels of EPA? Thanks,

Nina in Philly

> Does anyone know if there is fish oil that is Mercury safe?

[Guest guest]

Hi Dave;

This is contrary to what I have read, see for e.g.:

Gallstones and gallbladder disease

http://www.clarian.org/ADAM/doc/In-DepthReports/10/000010.htm

" Diet plays a role in gallstones. The following discussions are some

observations on specific dietary factors.

Fats. Although fats (particularly saturated fats found in meats,

butter, and other animal products) have been associated with

gallstone attacks, some studies have found a lower risk for

gallstones in people who consume foods containing monounsaturated

fats (found in olive and canola oils) or omega-3 fatty acids (found

in canola, flaxseed, and fish oil). Fish oil may be of particular

benefit in patients with high triglyceride levels by improving the

emptying actions of the gallbladder. "

But I would be interested to see if anyone in the group finds any

evidence for omega-3's contributing to stone formation. This would be

news to me.

Best regards,

Dave

(father of (23); PSC 07/03; UC 08/03)

>

> I was taking fish oils for a few months, but stopped due to a re-

occuring gallstone.  I was told that taking anything high in Omega-3

can contribute to the formation of stones.  Has anyone else heard of

this?  I would like to start taking fish oils again, but am very

reluctant because of the chance of stones forming.