[CenterIce]

Hi,

It's been 1.5yrs since my injury and I'd like to try fish using oil to see if will help with my symptoms. I read about a man named Dr. Lewis, the founder of the non-profit Brain Health Education and Research Institute who put together a protocol using fish oil for TBI.

Below are some of the guidelines he recommends. Can anyone recommend fish oil brands that fulfill this criteria? There are so many brands out there I don't know where to start.

-The omega‐3 fish oil product should be a concentrated formulation that is molecularly distilled, pharmaceutical grade, triglyceride form (not ethyl esters), and meets European Pharmacopeia standards.

-For Capsules: Each 1,000mg soft gel capsule should contain approximately 600mg of EPA & DHA omega‐3s combined.

This is his protocol page:
BHERI | The Omega-3 Protocol for Brain Health

[CenterIce]

I finally found a brand that seems to meet Dr. Lewis's protocol. It's a triple strength product by a company called Sports Research. I'll start using it on Tuesday when it arrives - fingers crossed on potential benefits.

[CenterIce]

An Amazon package arrived this morning. Here goes nothing

[Mark in Idaho]

I looked into Dr Lewis' standards. There are plenty of brands of Omega 3 fish oil that qualify except for the European Pharmacopeia part. That Sports Research brand is an expensive fish oil. My Vitacost Omega 3 fish oil has the same specs for 1/3 the price if you take advantage of the BOGO sales. Vitacost Mega EFA(R) Omega-3 EPA & DHA Fish Oil -- 21 mg - 24 Softgels - Vitacost

If anybody is going to try this, it can be done at a much lower cost.

It will be interesting to see how your gut tolerates so much fish oil.

[JBuckl]

Hi CenterIce,

I did the protocol. I did notice a significant improvement in symptoms when I first started this. Not so much anymore, but I believe my main symptoms are due to my sympathetic system being overactive. Fish oil is still one of my favorite supplements, but I think a good diet is more important.

I agree with Mark--it can be done for cheaper.

I personally buy from Vitacost when they have a BOGO (buy one get one 50% off) sale.

Good luck, and keep us updated!

[Mark in Idaho]

If you consume enough cold water fish that are rich in Omega 3 fish oil to achieve levels even close to serious Omega 3 supplementation, you risk ingesting higher than safe levels of heavy metals and other toxins. Molecular distillation removes these toxins.

An anti-inflammatory diet can make up for the anti-inflammatory benefit of fish oil.

I just found an article that says pollock fish oil is lower in DHA in ratio to EPA whereas salmon based fish oil is higher in DHA in ratio to EPA. The DHA is the part that is more important for the brain. Look for high DHA content in the fish oil you buy. Anchovies appear to have the highest ratio of DHA to EPA.

Sports Research has 250mgs/687mgs DHA/EPA (36%) in 1250 mg softgel. VitaCost has 200mgs/400mgs DHA/EPA (50%) per 1200 mgs softgel
Brain Power + looks to have the highest ratio of DHA to EPA at 300mgs/400mgs DHA/EPA (75%) per 1500 mg softgel.
Amazon.com: Omega-3 Fish Oil | 15 mg Omega 3, 8 mg EPA, 6 mg DHA - Triple Strength Pharmaceutical Grade Liquid Softgel Capsules - No Fishy or Burpy Aftertaste - 18 Pill Count: Health & Personal Care
Brain Power + is confusing. They say Made in the USA then explain the anchovies are caught and processed in Chile then shipped to New Jersey where it is encapsulated.

Those fish oil softgels are a lot to swallow. 1200 to 1500 mgs. Awgh..

[CenterIce]

Thanks Mark and Jbuckl,

So far so good on day one. As long as I take the pills one at a time I don't mind swallowing them. I do plan, though, to take them with meals.

It took me awhile to find a brand that met Dr. Lewis's standards. Perhaps I was looking in the wrong areas.

He calls for 600mg DHA/EPA combined but doesn't get more specific than that. I'll take a look at DHA and what it represents in terms of potential healing power. The Omega 3's I picked up are easily over 600mg DHA/EPA combined so I guess that's good.

How about the Triglycerides vs. Ethyl Esters thing?

Dr. Lewis suggests Triglyceride form but VitaCost is Ethyl Ester. In a well written and sourced article at the link below an author writes, "...the majority of research supports significantly increased absorption and bioavailability of EPA and DHA from triglycerides".

Any thoughts?


Fish Oils as Triglycerides vs. Ethyl Esters | Ascenta Health

[Mark in Idaho]

This footnoted report of the many studies of EE vs TG Omega-3 shows no difference.

What Does Science Say? Bioavailability of Triglyceride vs. Ethyl Ester Forms of Fish Oil

I could not find any information that says whether VitaCost or the others are EE or TG Omega-3s. I looked hard, too.

[CenterIce]

Thanks Mark. That's an interesting article - lots of references too.

The place I learned that Vitacost is EE is at one of the reviews on the product at the VitaCost link you sent. A four-star review by a person named JeffA1 answered the question below:

Q: What form of fish oil is used, ethyl-ester or triglyceride? A: Ethyl-ester

I'm not sure where he got his information but that's all I had to go on. I'm finding that the Internet certainly isn't short of material on the science of fish oil.

This trial I'm going through (Dr. Lewis protocol) should be interesting. I've read some have also made a correlation between EPA and mood - something I'm interested in as well.