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Low omega-3 index and polyunsaturated fatty acid status in patients with CFS/ME

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
I’ve been taking a capsule of EPA and DHA for about 10 days and have been feeling tearful and ill. Is this coincidence or could they be the cause somehow? I am a vegetarian so although it is a low dose it might be a big increase on what I have been getting. I will cut back and see how it fairs but wondered if anyone had experienced anything similar/had any thoughts?


one reason for dry eye is lacrimal dysfunction ... tears may mean that dha may be removing inflammation from tear ducts or causing too much ... maqui bright supplement can do that sometimes also ... dha definitely targets the tear glands
 

Pyrrhus

Senior Member
Messages
4,172
Location
U.S., Earth
I’ve been taking a capsule of EPA and DHA for about 10 days and have been feeling tearful and ill. Is this coincidence or could they be the cause somehow? I am a vegetarian so although it is a low dose it might be a big increase on what I have been getting. I will cut back and see how it fairs but wondered if anyone had experienced anything similar/had any thoughts?

I believe it is common for some ME patients to have trouble tolerating DHA, even in very small quantities.

Bear in mind that the plasma half-life of DHA is 3-5 days, and considering the downstream effects, it may take a couple of weeks to recover from any negative effects of DHA. Anecdotally, these effects tend to be neurological symptoms, including depression/anxiety.

With that said, DHA is actually quite important for brain health, so it is unfortunate that some people can not tolerate it.
 

Pyrrhus

Senior Member
Messages
4,172
Location
U.S., Earth
A known issue is omega-3 purity. All the cheaper brands are just fish oil, and contain toxic impurities. The minimum acceptable purity is typically found at about 60% active ingredient (EPA+DHA), and medical grade is 90%. That is what was used in all the early clinical trials, though I am not sure that is always the case.

There do seem to be significant problems with the quality of most fish oil supplements, and one possible reason is that these oils may degrade rapidly with exposure to oxygen or heat.

I don’t like to endorse specific brands, but I have been impressed with the quality of Minami brand omega-3 products. They don’t use any heat in the processing of their products, which may be one of the reasons for the high quality. In the U.S., these products are distributed by a company called Garden of Life. They are expensive, though.
 

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
correction ... it's not lacrimal dysfunction but called MEIBONIAN GLAND DYSFUNCTION

i look for brands that deliver high DHA vs the EPA ... EPA's efficacy is questionable or weak
... there aren't many brands other than Efagold and Nutrusta water soluble vesisorb form which do that

didn't know about half life
 
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prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
as an aside, i will also add this from life extension maqui bright
The human tear has three distinct layers: lipid layer, aqueous layer, and the mucous layer. Two of the most common characteristics of dry eye syndrome are the inadequacy of the water layer of tears produced by the lacrimal glands and insufficient oil production from the meibomian glands. Our Tear Support formula contains ingredients that have been clinically studied and shown to support the 3 layers as well as stimulating healthy tear production.
 

Chocolove

Tournament of the Phoenix - Rise Again
Messages
548
Whenever I have tried Omega 3 supplements (Cod Liver oil, capsules) I get reflux and stomach issues at first, and then after a few days I get brainfog and, most prominent, a depressed feeling. I just don't feel good on it. Does anybody else have it like this or have an explaination what's happening?
What brand manufacturer are you using? There are some low quality products out there.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
@alex3619

It would not by any chance be Dr Ray Peat, biologist whom you disagreed with would it? I am busy reading his work at the moment, which is strongly against eating PUFA's which you must know about anyway. Can you explain why you think he is wrong?
 

BeADocToGoTo1

Senior Member
Messages
536
Interesting thread. My omega 3 index was also low, and it was tough to find a supplement that did not cause stomach issues and disgusting smelling burps. In hindsight, I was not breaking fish oil down into usable nutrients due to a lack of pancreatic enzymes needed to break down the fat.

Once I started taking pancreatic enzymes and fish oil supplements I went a bit overboard, which affected my cholesterol. Specifically the DHA component in fish oil can increase LDL cholesterol, whereas the EPA component can slightly decrease LDL. Both EPA and DHA can decrease triglycerides. In one of my experiments, when taking three grams of fish oil per day for four months, my LDL cholesterol increased by 21%, HDL levels increased by 11% and triglycerides decreased by 10%. But, taking three grams of fish oil per day is roughly equivalent to eating one pound (454 grams) of fish per day!!

Genova Diagnostics has a great add-on to their nutritional test for Essential and Metabolic Fatty Acids Markers (RBCs) which details levels of multiple Omega-3,-6,-9, monounsaturated and saturated fats. It was a great way to check how changes in diet and supplements impacted my levels.

There is a prescription version called Vascepa that is EPA only without any of the heavy metals and toxins that you have to be careful with when sourcing fishoil supplements. And I have no disgusting burps or stomach issues with that one, but those issues might have been due to not being able to break down and absorb fishoil.
 

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
Interesting thread. My omega 3 index was also low, and it was tough to find a supplement that did not cause stomach issues and disgusting smelling burps. In hindsight, I was not breaking fish oil down into usable nutrients due to a lack of pancreatic enzymes needed to break down the fat.

Once I started taking pancreatic enzymes and fish oil supplements I went a bit overboard, which affected my cholesterol. Specifically the DHA component in fish oil can increase LDL cholesterol, whereas the EPA component can slightly decrease LDL. Both EPA and DHA can decrease triglycerides. In one of my experiments, when taking three grams of fish oil per day for four months, my LDL cholesterol increased by 21%, HDL levels increased by 11% and triglycerides decreased by 10%. But, taking three grams of fish oil per day is roughly equivalent to eating one pound (454 grams) of fish per day!!

Genova Diagnostics has a great add-on to their nutritional test for Essential and Metabolic Fatty Acids Markers (RBCs) which details levels of multiple Omega-3,-6,-9, monounsaturated and saturated fats. It was a great way to check how changes in diet and supplements impacted my levels.

There is a prescription version called Vascepa that is EPA only without any of the heavy metals and toxins that you have to be careful with when sourcing fishoil supplements. And I have no disgusting burps or stomach issues with that one, but those issues might have been due to not being able to break down and absorb fishoil.

Did you try Vesisorb DHA … it is water soluble … the DHA is the real active ingredient

The higher the cholesterol the longer the life expectancy. Virtually every part of of cholesterol is goodness. If you want to die quicker, lower your cholesterol.
 

BeADocToGoTo1

Senior Member
Messages
536
Did you try Vesisorb DHA … it is water soluble … the DHA is the real active ingredient

The higher the cholesterol the longer the life expectancy. Virtually every part of of cholesterol is goodness. If you want to die quicker, lower your cholesterol.

Thanks. I will check that out. There does seem to be a lot of misdirected focus on overall cholesterol levels and possible causes. Big pharma's profits are incestuously tied to it. My cardiologist was immediately talking about prescribing statins. I asked him 'but what about root cause?' and he just stared at me blankly. When I drastically lowered the fishoil intake the cholesterol levels also adjusted back quite quickly. I do view values and trends in my cholesterol (particle size as well) as just another signal to monitor as an indicator of food intake and absorption. Too high or too low are likely not good, but for each person what that healthy balance is will be different and fluctuate over time. In hindsight, excessive (unknowingly) sugar intake and other health issues were the likely cause of spikes I saw many years back.


Hi brenda,

Not sure who that was directed at. I hope not my comment.
 

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622

what are you talking about

Based on reviews on 19 studies with more than 68,000 people aged 60 and over, researchers said none of them found that high LDL was associated with heart disease or the risk of people dying earlier.

The study, published in BMJ Open, added that 92% of those with high cholesterol level lived longer than those with low LDL. As for the rest, no difference on longevity was found.
 

brenda

Senior Member
Messages
2,266
Location
UK
what are you talking about

Based on reviews on 19 studies with more than 68,000 people aged 60 and over, researchers said none of them found that high LDL was associated with heart disease or the risk of people dying earlier.

The study, published in BMJ Open, added that 92% of those with high cholesterol level lived longer than those with low LDL. As for the rest, no difference on longevity was found.

Sorry misunderstood.
 

godlovesatrier

Senior Member
Messages
2,545
Location
United Kingdom
I've been taking omega 3 as fish oil for 5 years. Without a break of longer than a week. Whenever I've ran out and exerted myself. Back when I could do this more easily if I started to crrash and took the omega 3 my body would over the course of 90 minutes slowly wake up at a cellular level. I always found it amazing how I would go from crashing with lots of fatigue to being fully awake at a cellular level.

Sadly these days I've gone backwards and while I still take it I think my body is sicker so therefore this benefit doesn't really arrive.

Interestingly I did notice a slightly similar albiet milder effect on the cells taking 7.5mg of nimotop. Which I haven't figured out. Could be more oxygen or more blood flow I guess.

Anyway if I ever stop taking omega 3 I tend to get anxiety and depression which also resolves within an hour of taking more. Other sources like vegEPA are totally useless and have no effect at the cellular level or on anxiety/depression. It's the only supplement I've ever taken that's give me such huge benefits to be honest.