The_Health_Therapist
Newbie
- Messages
- 3
1. Regarding risks of taking in excess of 3g epa/dha this is epa/dha not just omega 3 from fish oil of which epa/dha is a part but not all, most supplements listed with 1000mg fish oil or 1000mg omega 3 only have 250mg of epa/dha.
2. The NHS only approves items after very large scale clinic trials that cost a lot of money, to do these trials manufacturers normally conduct their own large scale placebo controlled trials first and present the data to the DoH that then decides if somethings worth studying given the cost. For manufacturers to do the initial research there has to be something in it for them as they can't patent omega 3 fish oil there is no protection from smaller companies selling their own omega 3 (or most supplements for that matter) therefore there just isn't the financial incentive for large scale trials. This means the evidence base has to rely on observational studies looking at intakes over time and small scale trials from interested nutritional scientists, which will never reach the evidence barrier for adding to the standard NGHS treatment protocol, this doesn't mean individual nutrition orientated GP/medical doctors won't recommend them as an addition to standard treatment.
3. Some cases study reports doses of epa/dha in excess of 3g for neuropathy and as the writer above suggested this may carry risks, others look at total fish oil in observational studies at a similar amount so the science(that exists) is a bit mixed about the actual epa/dha needed for neuropathy risk reduction. 250mg of epa + 250mg dha is recommended for general heart disease risk reduction (again some studies I have seen point at an additional benefit for heart disease risk reduction from doubling this to 500mg/500mg)
2. The NHS only approves items after very large scale clinic trials that cost a lot of money, to do these trials manufacturers normally conduct their own large scale placebo controlled trials first and present the data to the DoH that then decides if somethings worth studying given the cost. For manufacturers to do the initial research there has to be something in it for them as they can't patent omega 3 fish oil there is no protection from smaller companies selling their own omega 3 (or most supplements for that matter) therefore there just isn't the financial incentive for large scale trials. This means the evidence base has to rely on observational studies looking at intakes over time and small scale trials from interested nutritional scientists, which will never reach the evidence barrier for adding to the standard NGHS treatment protocol, this doesn't mean individual nutrition orientated GP/medical doctors won't recommend them as an addition to standard treatment.
3. Some cases study reports doses of epa/dha in excess of 3g for neuropathy and as the writer above suggested this may carry risks, others look at total fish oil in observational studies at a similar amount so the science(that exists) is a bit mixed about the actual epa/dha needed for neuropathy risk reduction. 250mg of epa + 250mg dha is recommended for general heart disease risk reduction (again some studies I have seen point at an additional benefit for heart disease risk reduction from doubling this to 500mg/500mg)
