Is it possible to have side effects from Omega 3, or an overdose?

There is no doubt about the health benefits of the Omega 3 essential fatty acids. However there are many pharmaceuticals on the market which have many health benefits, but which also come with unwanted side-effects, some of which may, in some cases, affect your health negatively.

And in some cases the side effects of taking various drugs can be as bad, if not worse, than the original condition. Does this apply to taking Omega 3 supplements? Or in other words can you take too much Omega 3 to the point where your health is affected negatively? Or are there serious health side-effects from taking the recommended dose?

As we said, many drugs come with serious side-effects. However they also confer significant health benefits as well, and so it’s not just a matter of considering the negative health side-effects from taking the drug, it’s also a matter of balancing the good with the bad, in other words the positive health benefits with the negative.

And a new study undertaken by the Norwegian Scientific Committee for Food Safety at the Request of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has considered this very question. What are the positive and the negative health effects from taking Omega 3 foods supplements or from Omega 3 in fortified foods?

The study noted that there was a range of beneficial health effects from taking more Omega 3 essential fatty acids into the diet. It also notes that the principle health benefit of a greater intake of the Omega 3 fats is a reduction in “the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality”, in other words you’re less likely to have cardiovascular disease or to die from it.

Of course this is not the only health benefit from the essential fatty acids, however this is such a significant health benefit that on its own it would be very worthwhile.

So clearly the study has found a very significant benefit to taking Omega 3 supplements or increasing your intake of the essential fatty acids in other ways, for example by eating more fish.

So what are the negative health consequences? In other words what are the side-effects?

The study noted that a number of minor negative health effects have been identified with increased intake of EPA and DHA. However these potential side effects are minimal, and only occur at very high doses. The study observed that “The evidence presented in this evaluation show that it is possible to obtain positive health effects in the Norwegian population from intake of EPA and DHA, including from food supplements, without any appreciable risk of negative or adverse health effects.”

It would seem therefore that when you consider the positive health benefits, and in particular a reduction in the risk of death from heart attack or cardiovascular event, when compared with a negative health consequences, which are minimal, there are powerful reasons for making sure you have enough Omega 3 essential fatty acids in your diet.

The study also examined the effects of taking ALA as well as EPA and DHA. As we have indicated previously ALA is the form of Omega 3 found in plants whereas EPA and DHA is the form of Omega 3 found in fish.

Most Omega 3 fortified foods are fortified with ALA, not EPA and DHA. And here is what the Norwegian study said about ALA. “This evaluation has shown that given a Western diet, the positive health effects are linked to EPA and DHA and not ALA”.

This might cause you to reconsider whether or not you are getting significant health benefits from Omega 3 fortified foods, fortified with ALA. To find out more read our article about Omega 3 fortified foods.

Read the Norwegian study here.

Some people are concerned about a fish oil overdose, and fish oil side effects.

Can you have a fish oil overdose? Now that’s an interesting question. When we were asked can you overdose on fish oil pills we decided to write about the risks of an Omega 3 overdose.

The first thing to say is yes, you can overdose on fish oil if you’re getting your oil from eating a lot of fish. It is now well recognized, including by the FDA, that fish are contaminated with toxins like PCBs, mercury, dioxin and chlordane. And for this reason they have a warning on their website about eating too much fish, especially top of the food chain fish.

But otherwise we aren’t aware of any fish oil overdose symptoms from eating a lot of fish. Remember, eating fish is healthy, and ignoring the problems with toxic contamination, eating a lot of fish is good for you.

Most of the studies of the benefits of Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids started with studies of populations of people who eat a lot of fish. A whole lot of fish. People like the Eskimos who eat fish daily, for example. And the studies found all sorts of health benefits from eating a lot of fish due to their intake of those healthy Omega 3 fats like DHA and EPA.

We haven’t seen any evidence that the Eskimos overdosed on fish and had negative health side effects.

But the question was about fish oil tablets and supplements, not eating fish.

Again we return to toxic contamination. Fish oil supplements can be contaminated with toxins. Most are pretty good, but there are issues with contamination depending on where the fish oil, or the fish it comes from are sourced, how the oil is treated to remove the toxins and even whether the oil is treated at all.

When buying fish oil supplements these are the things you need to find out. The best fish oil supplements don’t have any detectable levels of contamination at all.

So, can you have an Omega 3 overdose and if so what are the symptoms? Well the risks of an Omega 3 overdose are slight, but like all things you need to have an understanding of what the fish oil dosage recommendations are and follow them. We have written about the right fish oil dosage on our site already, read that article if you’re in doubt about how many capsules to take.

There are always those people who believe that if some is good for you more must be better. So if 2 capsules a day (of quality capsules, more for “ordinary” capsules) is good for your heart then 20 capsules a day must be REALLY good for your heart.

We always recommend that, even though Omega 3 supplements are really good for so many aspects of your health, always follow the dosage recommendations. Don’t take more than recommended.

At best you may find that taking more than recommended is wasting money, at worst there may be an overdose effect.

But in reality there is only a small risk of a serious fish oil overdose. Unless you’re taking huge amounts you ought to be ok. You may have an upset stomach, but probably not a lot worse than that. Perhaps some fishy reflux with inferior quality supplements or a fishy after taste.

HOWEVER. For those with a preexisting medical condition we also always recommend that you check with your doctor before starting supplements of any kind. If you have a preexisting medical condition there MAY be some possible fish oil overdose effect specific to that condition.

For example one of the major benefits of taking Omega 3 fatty acids is their ability to thin the blood. This is good and is part of the reason why taking supplements improves your heart health and reduces your risk of stroke.

But for some people with pre exising medical conditions there can be some risk of bleeding from thinning of the blood, so they should consult a doctor before starting on any Omega 3 capsules, or any other supplements for that matter.

And even for those with no pre existing conditions, taking huge doses may result in bleeding from blood thinning.

ALWAYS follow the recommendations of your doctor on dosage, or if you have no pre existing problems, follow the recommended dosage on the label.

The reality is that fish oil supplements are inherently safe, disregarding the problems of contamination. Fish oil is a natural product that is taken from fish, and you shouldn’t have an overdose from eating too much fish.

A word of warning though.

Here we are talking about an overdose of fish oil from normal fish oil supplements. You CAN get an overdose if you take too much cod liver oil. Normally Cod Liver Oil isn’t found in Omega 3 supplements, but there are still some people who take it believing it to be good for them. Read the rest of this entry