Side effects fish oil

Side effects fish oil are not as scary as you may think.
There has been a lot of publicity about issues such as harmful, high levels of mercury in fresh fish. This has created the current fish oil side effects scare. However, many experts believe the dangers have been over-hyped, and that concerns are unwarranted.

Given the importance of omega supplementation for physical and emotional health, especially fish oil for bipolar, it is important to know the facts.

In February 2009, the medical journal Psychiatric Services published findings showing that bipolar disorder can DOUBLE your risk of early death from a range of medical conditions - including those that can be controlled through diet and exercise.

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"Potentially harmful contaminants such as dioxins, methylmercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are found in some species of fish. Methylmercury accumulates in fish meat more than in fish oil, and fish oil supplements appear to contain almost no mercury. Therefore, safety concerns apply to eating fish but likely not to ingesting fish oil supplements."

This Wikipedia article discusses potential fish oil side effects and gives some history on the issue. Some European supplements did exceed safe levels for PCBs and had to be withdrawn. There is now an industry self-monitoring program in place.

Overall, it can be said that unless you have a fish oil allergy, the downside to using fish oil supplements is GREATLY OUTWEIGHED by fish oil benefits.

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) have published safety information for the public in relation to the side effects of fish oil.

The NIH advice is to NOT use fish oil supplements if you are allergic to fish!

Further, they warn that VERY HIGH DOSES may increase the risk of bleeding. This could manifest as nosebleeds or even as blood in the urine. These are some of several serious side effects but it is important to understand that any of the dangerous side effects are RARE and DO NOT occur at NORMAL DOSES.

However, some people are more vulnerable to the risks, and should get medical advice before using these (usually) valuable supplements:

- pregnant women

- nursing mothers

- patients already having elevated risks of bleeding

- diabetics (another VERY UNLIKELY risk is increased blood sugar).

The most common side effects are the ones we are all familiar with - upset tummy and fishy aftertaste. The best way to avoid any potential problems is to start with a low dose and increase it gradually. Better quality supplements are less likely to upset your tummy or leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Using omega oil blends that combine omegas 3-6-9 is the best way to get optimal health benefits and avoid side effects.

Food really does influence mood. The latest studies suggest simple, specific dietary approaches that may help depression and bipolar:

1. Avoid/minimize alcohol, caffeine, and sugar.

2. Take PROVEN bipolar dietary supplements, especially omega-3 (fish oil), and folic acid.

(Inositol may also be helpful, but so far the evidence is inconclusive.) Side effects fish oil are insignificant compared to what you can gain!




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