Regarding Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio

Susan_RD_101

@Marus

Recommendations depend on the country (see this document: Global Recommendations for EPA and DHA Intake - GOED Omega-3
www.goedomega3.com/index.php/files/download/304)

Unfortunately, there is not enough clear and concise data to provide a specific recommendation for DHA and EPA (or the ratio of n3:n6).

Kind regards,

Marus

What I still don't understand is how farmed salmon has Omega 3 ? I don't think there are algae in the pools where it is grown... So, where does it take it ?

Susan_RD_101

@Marus

Farmed animals are provided with a supplemental diet to have the nutrients we expect them to have (i.e. omega 3).

Kind regards,

Marus

I found this study: https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15051847
It says that too much ALA can increase the risk of prostate cancer. But what does it means "to much" ? Is those numbers "1.12-2.58" the amount in grams that causes cancer ?

Susan_RD_101

Hi @Marus

The numbers you are reading refers to the confidence interval (a statistic that is commonly used in epidemiological studies).

This study is also a little older; a more recent meta-analysis and systematic review found a very weak association between high intakes/blood concentration of ALA and prostate cancer risk. However, the studies included in the review were found to be very heterogenous (meaning that there were different conditions present in each study) and there was a strong risk of publication bias. The authors determine that if there is a risk with high ALA intake, it is very weak.

A conservative approach would be to include some daily ALA (i.e. 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed) but don't go out of your way to add it to your diet.

Hope this helps give some perspective.

Kind regards,

Susan_RD_101

And here's the study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19321563

Marus

@Susan_RD_101 Hi, again !
It's ok if I take 375 mg of EPA/DHA every other day ? I just bought some algae oil supplements and I want to start taking them. I'm more interested if it's not to much... I mean, the dose is not too high ... but it is ok to take it for a longer period of time ?

BRBWaffles

@Marus

According to at least one meta-analysis that I'm aware of, our needs for polyunsaturated fatty acids are specific to DHA and arachidonic acid (AA), but not EPA. Multiple estimates from around the world have suggested that our requirement for DHA is somewhere around 200-250mg per day. However, very few people have actually tried to quantify our AA requirements rigorously. At least one nation has around 500mg/day as a daily requirement for teenagers.