Feeling sick after taking high strength fish oil

[Victoria Tsoleridis]

Hi, I may be able to help.
Fish oil is pure omega 3 that is completely bioavailable to the body. Flax and other plant based omega's need to be converted to EPA and DHA which requires co-factors like Zinc, B6. So these oils are not as boiavailable to the body. However, they do have many health benefits.

It's common to feel ill taking any oils if you're not used to it. It has little to do with the potency and more to do with the quantity taken and whether taken with foods. In order for oils to be absorbed properly, the gall bladder releases bile to help emulsify and absorb the fats. Now, here's the interesting part. In order for the gall bladder to release bile, food must be received by the stomach. The food that enters the stomach sends a message to various parts of the body. If you have eaten sugar, then a message is sent to the pancreas to release insulin. If you eat fats, a message is sent to the gall bladder to release bile. Most of the fish oils on the market are coated in a specific way that DO NOT break down in the stomach, rather in the small intestine. So if you If you take fish oil with no food, and these capsules are whole and are floating around in your stomach, the gall bladder won't know to release bile. If you take fish oil with foods that are fatty (like a glass of milk, or a peice of bread with butter), then the stomach, once it's received the fats, will tell the gall bladder, 'hey there, time to release some bile, I have fats on the way for the small intestine'. So, take fish oil with food, preferably dinner, as that is when people consume the most fats. Taking fish oil with an apple or banana does nothing, and will still make you feel ill. It must be something with fat content of some sort.

High potency capsules can be taken 4 at a time, provided you take them with food.
Hope this clears it up.

Victoria
Clinical Nutritionist.

[helle]

oh crap! are you meant to keep them in the fridge??

[Victoria Tsoleridis]

I personally would not recommend buying fish oil unless it was from the fridge.

The fish that are used come from the depths of the ocean, where it's cold, sometimes freezing. Naturally, fish oil should be kept in the fridge.

[meow]

Thanks Victoria! Great info. We have just started fish oil and cod liver oil because of the fact that they are more bioavailable and my son suffers from poor digestion so he wouldn't absorb plant source omegas at this point.

[belle75]

Hi Victoria,
would you keep capsules in the fridge as well?