Eric Cressey set out to make the case for fish oil supplementation (here's part II) by citing reams of studies pointing to its many benefits. You can click through for the details, but here's the list of things it might help with:
Cardiovascular Health / Atherosclerosis / Hyperlipidemia / Hypertension; Hypertension; Cardiac Arrhythmias; Inflammatory Diseases of Joints and Connective Tissues; Osteoporosis; Kidney Disease/Renal Failure; Prostate Cancer; Colon Cancer; Breast Cancer; Skin Cancer; Crohn's Disease; Ulcerative Colitis; Asthma; Cystic Fibrosis; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); Sickle Cell Anemia; Menstrual Symptoms; Vision/Eye problems (glaucoma); Multiple Sclerosis; Prenatal and postpartum support; Psoriasis; Photosensitivity; Diabetes/Insulin Resistance; Resting Metabolic Rate; Body Composition Regulation and Leptin; Psychological Disorders; The Response to Stress; Migraine Headaches; Epilepsy; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS); Fibromyaglia; Cirrhosis;
A couple notes from his closing thoughts:
If you aren't taking fish oil, you're an idiot. Seriously. Okay, I'll leave you with a bit more practical wisdom instead. The typical fish oil capsule you'll encounter is 1000 mg fish oil; we, however, are more concerned with the EPA and DHA content of that 1000 mg. In most cases, you'll find 180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA per capsule. A good rule of thumb (especially based on the results of the clinical trials) is to consume 3-6 g combined EPA and DHA per day; at this capsule size, you'd need 10-20 capsules per day. For this reason, liquid fish oil is a great alternative.
If you're set on capsules these might be good, but I can't vouch for them myself. Seems like they pack more of a EPA/DHA wallop than the smaller capsules Eric mentions though. He also says:
Finally, be patient! Read the finer details of all of the studies that I've outlined and you'll realize that the majority of them were at least 6-8 weeks in duration (usually longer). Your body needs time to make good use of these healthy raw materials, so count on a few months before you see noticeable results if you have one of the aforementioned conditions. For the rest of you, you probably won't notice much, but I guarantee that you'll be healthier in the long run.
Interesting.
