Thread: A word of caution regarding fish oil supplements

My 5 year old son is mentally retarded and is probably also autistic to some extent. Trying to help him we started to give him cod liver oil. Although there is no conclusive evidence it helps many parents report beneficial effects of fish oil on the behavior of their autistic children. After 3 months we will evaluate the effects and talk to his teachers whom we did not inform as we do not want to bias them.

Looking into the matter of fish oil supplements I discovered some interesting but also disquieting issues.

In 2012 7.8% of interviewed adults in the US said they had used fish oil supplements the last 30 days. Studies in the US, Australia and New Zealand show that the large majority of non-prescription fish oil supplements contains a large percentage of oxidized fatty acids that do more harm than good by increasing the levels of bad LDL cholesterol instead of lowering them. Best is to buy supplements that come with a test certificate by an independent laboratory that states the levels of oxidation. The lower the level of oxidation the better.

https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/s...8E287357FD274F


For those of you who value sustainability: most fish oils used in supplements are a byproduct of the fish meal industry. Sardines etc are caught off the coasts of Peru and Chile and shipped to China for processing. Peru and Chile do not manage their fish stocks well. Similar concerns apply to Antarctic krill fishing.
Cod liver oil is a byproduct of the cod fishing industry for human consumption. Cod are gutted at sea, livers not needed for the oils are chucked straight back into the sea. No cod are caught for their livers only. Norway and Iceland manage their cod stocks well.

I hope this helps those of you who take fish oil supplements

that's interesting. I used to take them but stopped.
I would be interested to hear about the results with your son.

Yes, there is a lot of unregulated dietary supplement issues. The area of interest that I have been looking into is the microbiome. It is complex and fascinating. Perhaps you could also look into that for areas that may be helpful to your son.

Originally Posted by RezDog

Yes, there is a lot of unregulated dietary supplement issues. The area of interest that I have been looking into is the microbiome. It is complex and fascinating. Perhaps you could also look into that for areas that may be helpful to your son.

I have looked into this, lots of interesting stuff. It makes me feel we hardly know anything yet.