Mind

Fish Oil for Brain Injury?*

written by Vin Kutty

comments 46 comments

fish oil for brain injury

We receive a lot of inquiries about how to use Omega-3 for brain injury recovery.

I need to be upfront about a few things:

  1. We don’t know with certainty whether fish oil can heal brain injuries. But we know that fish oil should be part of the nutritional foundation for improving recovery.
  2. Don’t do this on your own. Work with your doctor. This is outside the scope of most people’s self-care skills.
  3. If you think you or someone you know has suffered from brain injury, get medical help immediately.
  4. And finally, the FDA wants you to know that dietary supplements cannot treat concussions.

A very short history of use

Fish oil and Brain Injury

Omega-3’s potential for helping with brain injury was first investigated in the Sago mine collapse in 2006.

Randy McCloy was the only survivor of the collapse.

When the rescuers found him in the rubble, he had brain, heart, liver and kidney failure. He was barely clinging to life. After he was transported to West Virginia School of Medicine, the hospital neurosurgeons tube-feed him very large doses of fish oil.

 Randy has since made a remarkable recovery.

“I certainly think it played a big role,” said Dr. Julian Bailes, then Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery. “How can he rebuild his brain, if he doesn’t have the substrate to do it?”

Dr. Barry Sears of ‘Zone Diet’ fame was a consultant for Randy’s treatment and has been at the forefront of this new therapy.

Omega-3 and the brain

The brain, after all, is 60% fat and a big chunk of it is Omega-3.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

In the news again…

Fish oil and brain injury was, once again, in the news: teenager Grant Virgin was struck by a hit-and-run driver and taken to a trauma center.

Doctors were preparing family members for the worst. (Because modern medicine does not have a treatment for brain trauma.)

Grant’s family contacted Dr. Barry Sears. When the boy’s doctors dismissed fish oil as untested and unproven, the family began sneaking a few grams of fish oil into his feeding tube.

Two months later, when he was moved from ICU to a rehabilitation center, his parents told the doctors at the new facility that their son was receiving 20 grams (20,000 mg) of fish oil per day, a far bigger amount than what they had been sneaking into the feeding tube. (This is merely a report of an unrecognized protocol that some doctors use to treat traumatic brain injury. OmegaVia is not intended to treat traumatic brain injury or any other disease. You should not follow this protocol unless instructed to do so by a medical practitioner. We do not recommend this dose using OmegaVia or any Omega-3 product on your own.)

Forty eight hours after the near-comatose boy had begun taking the mega dose, he asked a nurse for a cell phone to call his mom. He’s since made an impressive recovery.

Watch a video about this here. Part 2.

For another similar story about a teenager and fish oil, read Bobby Ghassemi’s story here.

Many questions with few answers

  • Did the fish oil have anything to do with the recovery?
  • Can Omega-3 help older injury victims?
  • Are there risks that we’re unaware of?
  • Would Grant Virgin have recovered sooner if he’d been given the 20 gram dose immediately after injury?
  • Is there a therapeutic window that closes after a period of time?

We don’t know all the answers.

What we do know is:

  1. DHA is a building block of your brain. If your brain is built with DHA, it simply makes sense that you will need a lot of it to repair damaged brains.*
  2. Injury causes swelling. Sadly, the skull prevents swelling and this in itself can be extremely dangerous. It is not uncommon for army physicians treating soldiers with brain trauma to remove portions of the skull to allow the brain to swell.

EPA and DHA may help support healthy inflammation response.*

*Individual results may vary. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

 

It’s this secondary effect that Omega-3 may help with.

Dr. Michael Lewis, whom I met briefly earlier this year, is a retired army colonel. He directs the non-profit Brain Health Education and Research Institute in Potomac, Maryland. He, along with Drs Barry Sears, Joe Hibbeln and Julian Bales are the handful of leading authorities in this field.

“If you have a brick wall and it gets damaged, wouldn’t you want to use bricks to repair that wall?” asks Dr. Lewis describing his simple approach.

He receives so many requests for help from families of brain injury victims that he has set up a website with a clear protocol for nourishing the the brain with Omega-3 after brain injuries*.

Dr. Sears has done something similar. I suggest you read both because Dr. Sears offers more detailed product selection insight.

Dr. Sears’ approach:

  1. Choose high purity fish oil with less than 5 ppb PCBs. The industry maximum of 90 parts per billion is like setting the limbo pole 10 feet off the ground. How do you tell if your fish oil has less than 5 ppb of PCB? Go to IFOS Consumer Reports. There are several very good brands you can choose from.
  2. The fish oil must contain both EPA and DHA. A minimum of 60% total Omega-3 is a must.
  3. Use 10,000 to 15,000 mg of total EPA + DHA per day to ‘put out the fire in the brain before you can rebuild it.’ (Note that this level exceeds the upper limit of most government health bodies. This is a decision that your doctor needs to make.)
  4. Prefers 2:1 ratio of EPA to DHA.
  5. Track your AA/EPA ratio with a simple finger-stick blood test.

Dr. Lewis’ approach:

  1. Begin with molecular distilled, concentrated fish oil supplement. May be capsules or liquid.
  2. Begin taking Omega-3 as soon as possible after the injury.
  3. Take 3000 mg of EPA + DHA three times a day for 7 days. (Note that this level exceeds the upper limit of most government health bodies. This is a decision that your doctor needs to make.)
  4. Reduce dosage to 3000 mg EPA + DHA twice a day for week 2.
  5. Continue a lower dose maintenance dose.

See Dr. Michael Lewis’ detailed protocol here.

Note that none of these methods have been approved by the FDA. The US FDA considers Omega-3 to be GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) and considers doses up to 3 grams of EPA + DHA to be without adverse events. EU’s upper limit is 5 grams per day. When using higher amounts of EPA and DHA, it is important that you do so only under the supervision of your doctor.

Case studies: how much Omega-3 did they use?

Patient Bobby Ghassemi was given a higher dose than described above – almost 20,000 mg of EPA + DHA per day. And he stayed at that dose for a year without any documented side effects.

Grant Virgin was eventually moved to 20,000 mg per day of fish oil per day, a lower Omega-3 dose than what Bobby was given.

The risks associated with such mega doses of Omega-3 have not been studied. There may be increase risk of bleeding, but this risk has been shown to be unfounded when used at levels suggested by FDA and EU.

Then what?

Dr. Lewis: ‘Every individual is different. Patients typically notice results within the first week, often in the first several days.’

Dr. Sears: ‘Each case is different. Based on my experience if you are using the correct amount of omega-3 fatty acids, you should see the beginnings of a response within 60 days. In Grant’s case, it was two days.’

Which fish oil should you use?

Well, if you are going to add Omega-3 to a feeding tube, then buy liquid fish oil.

Do not buy capsules and squeeze the oil out.

Try liquid fish oils from Nordic Naturals, Dr. Sears’ Zone, Barleans or Carlsons. Most liquid fish oils have more EPA than DHA – this is fine. But if you are looking for equal parts EPA and DHA, look into Salmon oil. VitalChoice has a good liquid salmon oil.

If the person can swallow capsules, your options are wide open. Reduce the number of pills by buying products with at least 1000 mg of Omega-3 per pill. This allows you to take just 3 pills three times a day if you’re following Dr. Lewis’ approach or 4-5 pills three times a day with the Sears approach. Check IFOS Consumer Reports for brands.

Do not use DHA-only or EPA-only formulas. You need both fatty acids.

There is a liquid fish oil-based product called Oxepa that some hospitals have access to. This product contains very little Omega-3.

What else can you do?

Most experts agree that you should reduce your Omega-6 load. But this can’t be done quickly.

How much Omega-3 you need depends on how much Omega-6 and its byproducts you have in your body. This is why the Sears approach relies heavily on Arachidonic Acid (AA) to EPA ratio – AA is a byproduct of Omega-6.

The average AA/EPA ratio for Americans is about 20. It needs to be close to 5.

It’s too late to worry about Omega-6 after a brain injury, so the higher this ratio the more fish oil you will need to reduce inflammation.

How to reduce Omega-6 levels:

  • Eliminate all processed foods
  • Eliminate all fast foods (they’re cooked in high Omega-6 soybean oil)
  • Eliminate foods cooked outside the home (see above)
  • Change your cooking oil to coconut oil or butter
  • Eliminate all sources of vegetable seed oils
  • Reduce seeds and poultry consumption.

A modified Paleo diet with lots of fresh vegetables, wild seafood, grass-fed meats and fruits is very good for reducing your AA/EPA ratio to healthy levels.

“There are no magic pills; there are no magic cures for TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury),” states Dr. Lewis. “There will never be a cure for TBI.”

However, providing your brain with all the nutrients it needs to heal itself may give you better odds at regaining your old life.

What about you?

Do you know anyone who’s suffered from brain injury or trauma? What was their medical experience? Did their doctor suggest more Omega-3?

Additional reading:

You may need to pay to access some of these papers

 


 

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

 

 

46 Comments

Join the conversation

  1. I just read an article that dealt with TBI in homeless men. Then I came across this article that talked about Omega 3 benefits to brain injury.

    “The St. Michael’s study looked at the cases of 111 homeless men and found that assault accounted for some 60 percent of the TBI’s. Drug and alcohol were the leading factors for men under 40, while assault was the most common factor for men over 40 years of age.

    However, a significant percentage of the men received their TBI’s in non-violent accidents. Amongst those cases, sports and recreation related injuries accounted for 44 percent of the TBI’s, while motor vehicle accidents or falls made up another 42 percent.” Austin Times

    Maybe if we can create better programs to that can address TBI with treatments mentioned in this article we may be able to help alot of people.

  2. Thank you for putting together this fine article.
    I appreciate that you even mentioned other companies products.
    As someone who had a concussion in January and is still have severe effects most days the resources and info is very valuable.

    Thanks again.

  3. Hi Vin,

    I suffered a concussion about one and a half year ago, and I am still today dealing with Post Concussion Symptoms. I have been taking fish oil to help in my recovery, and for the past few months I have been taking DHA weighted fish oil (800 mg (DHA): 400 mg (EPA)), having heard that it was better for brain injuries. Is this a good approach in my case? For instance, one of your earlier blog posts mentions that our brains only absorb 4 mg of DHA per day and Dr. Sears also seems to state that EPA is more effective than DHA. On the other hand, searching the Internet results in a whole lot of conflicting information.

    Should I stay the course with regards to my fish oil, or should I be moving on to a a fish oil with a higher EPA ratio, say 3:2 or 3:1? Your feedback, and recommended mg of DHA and EPA for my case would be greatly appreciated.

    Thanks!

    JD

    • Hi JD – I’d stay the course, even if you are outside of your therapeutic window…frankly, no one knows if there a therapeutic window. But what experts seem to agree on is that taking Omega-3 within hours of the injury could theoretically help a lot. It’s early days in this area of research, so you won’t hear strong opinions much. If you do, use a little caution. Dr Sears is not wrong in suggesting you take a lot of EPA…but this is for fighting inflammation and swelling immediately after the injury. After that, it’s the DHA that’s required for physically building up the damaged parts of the brain. If you are not going to provide it, your body will scavenge it from other parts of you, which isn’t ideal. When there is a huge need for DHA (like when there is a injury), then the 4 mg of DHA per day is out the window. Nobody knows how much DHA is absorbed post-injury…that would also depend on the injury as well.

      • Hi Vin,

        Thanks for getting back to me so quickly! I will follow your advice and stay the course. Would you say 2000 mg of DHA and 1000 mg of EPA is plenty? This is is equivalent to two servings of the fish oil (recommended on the bottle is one serving).

        Thanks again,

        JD

        • Hi JD – yes, 3000 mg Omega-3 per day is definitely a good dose. You could lower it to 2000 if you think you’re getting the same benefits.

  4. Please l would like to know which Omega 3 to buy for my daughter. She is just 7 months old and Doctors said she had some little brain issues.
    Thanks

    • Hi Kelvin – any liquid Omega-3 that can be dosed in drops or small spoons should work. Aim for 100 mg Omega-3 per day.

  5. Hi my name is Ceciah Lopez, I recently have my mother in a rehab recovering for a brain injury how much you will recommend on doses of omega 3 to give to he she’s still young she’s only 50 years old, she suffer a cardiac arrest and her brain is did not have oxygen, please help me we are giving Yeh the omega 3 but only in small doses and we are seeing changeso in her..

    • Hi Cesiah – small doses may not be enough for what you’re trying to do. Aim for at least 3000 mg of Omega-3 per day, which is what the United States FDA considers a safe dose. But many people in your position are dosing 5 times that amount – I cannot recommend such doses even if that is what she truly needs – only her doctor can. You need to discuss with your doctor on how to proceed. Many uninformed doctors will dismiss your request, in which case, you should target a minimum of 3000 mg of Omega-3. Start now!

  6. i had two open head surgeries back in 2004.i have been in different anti-deppresion drugs such as effexor75mg twice per day then the psiquiatrist changed to lamictal 200mg twice per day and wellbutring 300mg in mornings and 150mg at noon. it works but some periods of time i go back to bad moods and feel deppresed again.I got from you 1 bottle of omega via and will like to know the appropiate dossage of nomegavia,magnesium and d3.thanks;carlos

    • Hi Carlos – the dosage for OmegaVia should be 2 to 3 capsules per day. Get 400 to 500 mg of Magnesium per day. D3 will depend on your blood level – target blood level of 50-60 ng/ml from sunshine exposure. Try not to get your D3 from supplements as much as you can…try to walk for an hour a day in the mid-day sun if your schedule will allow it. More info here: http://www.omegavia.com/supplements-for-depression-anxiety/

      • I am almost doing your advises except walking one hour daily.But believe I just started and walked 1 hour.I am also taking Bcomplex cause my neusurgeon told
        me to do so since my two surgeries back in 2013I am also taking a multivitamineral liquid that has 300mgMag(as citate gluconade0 + 400mg (as magnesium oxide) I think is too much but the first Mag was really expensive.In addition I take wellbutrin twice a day(300mg+150mg)+Lamictal 200mg twice)due to my depression and I think is a big risk to get rid of them. Also if supplements + drugs interaccions affect.

  7. I have a 13 year old son who suffered bilateral PVL at birth . I started him on fish oil years ago and swear by the fact it helps . I have always followed the apraxia dosage of 2EFA and 1EPA daily . However I am wondering if I should change him to more of the DHA . It sounds like the DHA is what he needs .
    Your recommendation is greatly appreciated .

    • Hi Darla – if you’ve been giving him a little (?) DHA every day, his body should have enough accumulated. DHA gets accumulated and stays in the body for a couple of years before it gets used up and you need more. EPA on the other hand, gets used up in a week or so. So taking very high doses of DHA as a regular dosage is not necessary. If there is recent injury, then yes, more DHA makes sense. My suggestion would be to take high EPA with moderate DHA on a daily basis.

  8. Hi Thank You for this great information! Now for my question I have a 9 yr old 37kg that recieved a TBI mild during tackle football (1 month ago) No LOC, no N/V, answerd questions correctly, pupils equal, etc. Looking back he did cry which is not normal for him and he continued to cry off & on the remainder of practice. Within a few days started with persistent repetitive hand motion, mood changes, slowness in thinking and memory problems. I homeschool my children and am first hand aware of his inability to learn right now, he had been my completly independent, advanced learner. He is currently seeing our chiropractor 3xs a week. I would like to add fish oil but I am a bit confused on a dosage for him. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you so much for your time.

    • Hi Reina – follow the general dosage guidelines in the article above and/or whatever dosage your medical care provider gives you. At the very least, Omega-3 will reduce inflammation and at best, it may help build back some damaged portions of the brain.

  9. I’m a mom of a 17 year old that just got his 4th concussion during soccer last night. I’m wanting to know what you suggest for treatment for the omega-3? The first 2 were in football his freshman year and he ended in the hospital, and the 3rd was his sophomore year during club soccer. He loves sports, but as a mom it kills me that he keeps getting concussions and no real treatment. He hasn’t been himself since he has had the 2nd concussion and has been on depression medication. I just wish I could get my son back. I would take any advice for the supplements. Thank you.

    • Hi Terra – I’m really sorry to hear this. I recently saw a video of some of the 1986 Chicago Bears players – many of them can barely speak coherently. We now understand the risk of heavy-impact sports. Professional and varsity sports are going to look different in 20 years. Prevention is up to you. I would give him high dose Omega-3 for a couple of weeks, like described in the article above. Go with liquid fish oil. Do it NOW! There is inflammation that you need to reduce.

  10. i have a son 4 month old.
    at the age of 2 month we did Mri for him which showed significant paucity of white matter in both cerebral hemispheres with exvacuodilatation of lateral ventricles secondary to changes of cystic encephalomalacia.
    other than his age wise milestones, he doesn’t make eye contact with us but reacts to light toys and track them. also he doesn’t roll much so i want to know whether i can start with fish oil at this stage and what dose and how long i should do it..

    • Hi Heena – you need to work with your pediatrician. It’s perfectly fine to give a 4 month old some Omega-3, but the best way is thru breastfeeding. Check with your pediatrician if DHA drops (Nordic Naturals) is OK. Sounds like perhaps he was born with C-section and no breastfeeding…? Omega-3 is not a medicine – it is a nutrient, so it is required on a daily basis for all of us, either through breastmilk or food. If you are still breastfeeding, then you should take 2000 mg of Omega-3 daily.

      • hello thanks for your reply.
        i am breastfeeding and delivery was normal assisted by forcep. I want to ask if i take omega 3 supplement it wont affect me much but the baby will get the effect of it?
        and how long should i continue and when can I start it to my baby directly.
        when can i see the effects…

        • Hi Heena – that’s good news! If you’re breastfeeding, then you should be taking at least 2000 mg of Omega-3 per day and at least 1000 mg of that should be DHA. It will help both you and the baby a lot. Continue taking it as long as your breastfeeding and then you may continue to take it but at a lower dose. If you take Omega-3, your breast milk will have some of that Omega-3 within a day. Whether that will fix all health concerns is another matter… What you will know for sure is that the baby is getting adequate Omega-3 for proper brain and eye development.

  11. My little brother got a concussion playing soccer yesterday. He went to the hospital and got a CAT scan but it showed no bleeding or anything, and they dismissive him the same day.

    He has no recollection of the event or the past 2 weeks, and has a hard time with his short memory for now.

    I have Green Pasture’s Butter Oil / Fermented Cod Liver Oil Blend and gave him a little bit today.

    Is this a good supplement for him to get the necessary nutrients to help his brain heal?

    Or should I get another supplement?

    • Hi Mike – the product you are using does not have much Omega-3. You should be using something like Nordic Naturals Liquid Ultimate Omega if you are looking for high levels of Omega-3 in liquid form. If he is OK taking pills then you can take OmegaVia or some of the other good pharma grade fish oils.

  12. Hi Vin

    Great work. So much useful info.

    My brother was in a car accident 5 years ago and has been left with a TBI. I am just researching all this info on fish oils and was wondering if its too late to start taking them now? He has memory loss and cognitive issues. I have ordered Nordic Naturals for him but unsure on dosage? would 4000-5000mg be too much at this stage of his rehab?

    Thanks so much – any info would be much appreciated.

    • Hi Airy cleere – I don’t know if there is a window of opportunity for brain recovery. No harm in staying at 3000 mg for a month or so. See if there are any improvements. If not, bring it down to 1000 or 2000 per day. Make sure his neurologist is infomred as well.

    • My son 18 years old have had about 4 concussions starting at 10 years old some from sports injuries. He has recently started complaining to me about depression, anxiety, stomach pain. I believe this is from the concussions, he has an appointment with a neurologist. He recently started the fish oil and I am wondering if you saw improvement with your brother? Since my sons last concussion was 2 years ago.

  13. Hi Vin, my 5 year has ADHD and has a hard time focusing and remember stuff. He is in kindergarten and still has a hard time writing letters and numbers. I was looking at the protocol. What do you think will help with his brain? Please help! Thanks

    • HI Marie – traumatic brain injury and ADHD are not the same thing. The first one is an acute injury and the second a chronic condition caused mostly by diet, lifestyle, environment and to some degree, genetic predisposition. Try a whole foods diet with lots of vegetables, seafood, meats, fruits, and eggs. No sugar or grains. Lots outdoor play. 10-11 hours of sleep. Check with your pediatrician if he needs prescription medication.

  14. Hi , about two months ago I hit the right side of my forehead pretty hard on a board at work. Since then I’ve had depression, vision changes, sleeping problems, headaches, not many cognitive issues thankfully, every now and then I stumble over words. No memory issues. What would be a good dose of fish oil to start out with? My blood pressure is also on the high side since all of this started .

  15. Hi my son is suffering from tbi, his accident was on Oct 2016. He he is on a feeding tube. I bought Carlson Fish Oil 1600mg
    EPA 800 MG
    DHA 500 MG
    How much would you suggest that I give him daily through his feeding tube?
    Thank you for you time.

    • Hi Shakera – check with your doctor first, but my suggestion is to give him liquid fish oil. A teaspoon in the morning and one in the evening with meals is a good idea. Please re-read the article for links to correct dosage recommendations made by known TBI experts.

  16. Hi, my brother was recently treated for an aneurism and also had a massive stroke in front right brain and both back sides of the brain. The stroke caused him to have cortical blindness and is paralyzed on his left side. The neurologist said that the brain cannot recover from it once it’s damaged from the stroke. He’s now at a subacute skilled nursing home and I have requested 3000mg of official fish oil in his feeding tube. I’m not sure but I think they says it’s a capsule form (they probably break it and put in feeding?) I heard it helps with brain recovery. Should I ask for a specific type of fish oil or is what I requested ok enough?

    • Hy Lysa – it is FAR EASIER to do this and get the nurses to comply if you get them a liquid fish oil. Try any of the concentrated liquid Omegas from Nordic Naturals.

  17. Hi Vin,

    I was assaulted back in 1993 and suffered an epidural hematoma. I had emergency surgery and survived but I’ve dealt with numerous issues since then, such as anxiety, depression, fatigue, memory loss, poor concentration and brain fog. I was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999 and have been on a host of antidepressants, antipsychotics and anti-anxiety medications with mixed results. I have just recently started looking into the possibility that my issues are a result of my tbi 24 years ago and have learned about the power of omega 3. I recently ordered a reputable supplement and I’m hoping that it will help to alleviate these issues. Do you think that omega 3 would be beneficial in my case? Do you have any recommendations as far as dosage is concerned? I would truly appreciate any advice you can offer. Thank you!

    Jeff

    • Hi Jeff – sorry to hear that you’ve had to go through this. If you did not have traumatic brain injury (TBI), I’d recommend diet and lifestyle changes as the very first corrective steps. Specifically, a sugar-free and grain-free diet that’s exclusively veggies, meats, seafood, eggs, and some fruit and nuts. Of course, lots of olive oil and Omega-3s too. Nothing else. If you combine that with intense sun exposure during summer time and a lot of outdoor activity, our brains slowly start to get back to where they ought to be. But that’s what I tell people without TBI. Your case requires medical assistance due to complicated history. Still, no harm at all in doing what I suggested above. The diet + lifestyle changes I suggested are no-risk and high-benefit.

      Here’s the thing: millions of Americans share your symptoms and increasingly so. And they’ve not experienced TBI. Our lifestyles and diets are corrosive to good brain health… all without brain injuries. In your case, how much does diet and lifestyle contribute to your symptoms? You can’t change what happened, but you can change your diet and lifestyle (at least a little bit) to offset some of the symptoms caused by issues other than the injury.

      As for supplements, sure, DHA and Omega-3 help. The dosage sweet spot for DHA is 600 mg per day. Take a look at the graph at the bottom of this link: https://omegavia.com/new-omega-3-dha-600-supplement/ Brain health benefits start around 600 to 800 mg DHA. Magnesium, Curcumin, and Probiotics may help:
      https://innovixlabs.com/products/advanced-magnesium/
      https://innovixlabs.com/products/mood-probiotic/
      https://innovixlabs.com/products/high-absorption-curcumin/
      Disclosure: these products are made by our sister company.

      Hope this helps.

  18. Hi Vin,

    I’ve been using OmegaVia in the past, and only recently I discovered your website with your very informative articles and your comments.

    Since January of this year I follow dr Nemechek Protocol for autonomic dysfunction.
    Dr Nemechek is also well known for his treatment of autism and he treats both autonomic dysfunction and autism similarly. Here is the link that explains his method.

    https://www.nemechekconsultativemedicine.com/blog/reversing-autism-2017/

    In his treatment he uses pure, unadulterated Olive Oil (30ml for adults) and DHA Fish oil. For adults he recommends 3000 DHA. It turns out that the brand he recommends (NOW DHA 500) has also 250 EPA so total dose is 4500mg of Omega 3 (3000 DHA and 1500 EPA) as he claims that high dose of DHA repairs brain.

    Is total 4500mg of DHA/EPA too much?

    I switched to your brand (no more fishy burps !) and take 4 capsules of OmegaVia DHA 600 and 2 Capsules of regular OmegaVia (EPA780/DHA260) and I’m doing well on that dose. But still worried a bit: too much of a good thing?
    Over all, I feel much better and my autistic adult child is making great progress.
    I would greatly appreciate your input.
    Thank you

    • Hi Dora – the US FDA suggests 3000 mg as a safe upper limit. That does not necessarily mean that slightly higher amounts are unsafe under doctor supervision or protocol. The European Food Safety (EFSA) suggests that 5000 mg be a safe upper limit. So, you’re in the middle of those those numbers. If you’re in Europe, you’re clearly under the safe upper limit for daily Omega-3 consumption. There are many doctor-assisted protocols that require even higher levels of Omega-3.

  19. My daughter, 24 months old, was diagnosed with ischemic hypoxic brain injury and cerebral hemorrhage two months ago in a heart attack.
    She also has cardiovascular disease that causes heart attacks.
    She is currently taking aspirin (antiplatelet agent), sildenafil (vasodilator), bosentan (vasodilator), sirolimus (immunosuppressant), and thyroidoid (hypothyroidism).

    I want to know if Omega 3 helps her brain damage over two months,
    What type of omega-3 should I take and how much should I take?
    I wonder if Omega 3 EPA will be mixed with aspirin. In this regard, I would like to know if DHA is more necessary than EPA.

    • H Choi – I’m really sorry to hear about this situation. As a parent, I can only imagine what you’re going through. My initial response is to say, yes, add some Omega-3s to her routine. But since she is under intensive care from presumably multiple physicians, you must talk to her doctors before you decide to proceed with Omega-3 supplementation. Children have a significant need for Omega-3, especially DHA. If approved by the doctors, aim for 200 to 300 mg Omega-3 daily with a little more DHA than EPA. This is a moderate dose. There are many flavored Omega-3s available.

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