Fish oil is a general term used to describe oil derived from fish species that contain significant amounts of substances called omega-3 fatty acids. Your body needs these acids for proper health, but can't produce them internally. Currently, no branch of the U.S. government has established recommended daily amounts for fish oil intake.
Nutrient Recommendations
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, does not issue nutrient intake recommendations. Instead, these recommendations come from the Food and Nutrition Board, which forms part of the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine. Recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, is a level of nutrient intake that will serve the needs of at least 97 percent of all healthy people. Other recommendations issued by the Food and Nutrition Board include tolerable upper intake limit, or UL, and adequate intake, or AI, which is sometimes used to identify minimum beneficial intakes when no RDA finding exists.Together, RDA, UL and AI are known as dietary reference intakes, or DRIs.
Fish Oil Omega-3
Fish oil contains two forms of omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. However, because of variations in the oil content of commonly used fish species, not all supplements contain the same amounts of these substances. Therefore, the important factor in fish oil consumption is not the amount of oil you take; instead, the main factor is the amount of omega-3s an oil contains. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, a 5-g capsule of fish oil can contain anywhere from 170 to 560 mg of EPA and anywhere from 72 to 310 mg of DHA.
Common Intakes
If you are a healthy adult with no history of heart disease, the American Heart Association recommends that you get your omega-3s by consuming fish rather than fish oil. Aim for at least two servings a week of species such as salmon, sardines, mackerel, albacore tuna and lake trout. If you need to lower high cholesterol levels, take a supplement that will give you between 2 and 4 g per day of both EPA and DHA. If you have coronary artery disease, you can take a supplement that provides 1 g of EPA and DHA daily. Doctors have not determined a safe fish oil dose for children 18 or younger.
Safe Intake
While there is no RDA for fish oil, another government office called the U.S. National Library of Medicine has issued general guidelines for maximum safe intake. In most cases, healthy individuals can take a maximum of 3 g of fish oil per day. If you take more than this amount, you may experience health consequences that include increased bleeding risks, decreased immune system activity and heightened blood levels of harmful LDL cholesterol. Individuals with depression or bipolar disorder may also experience an increase in their symptoms if they consume fish oil. Contact your doctor for further information.
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