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The Most Common Fish Oil Side Effects and Tips to Avoid Them

By Venkata Krishnan Rajagopalan

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 27Sep2009 Word count: 718 Viewed: 666 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

A lot of people know that fish oil is very good for their health. However, they hesitate to take fish oil capsules regularly because of fish oil side effects. If you are one of them, this article is meant for you. Please make sure your read this in its entirety.

Let me first tell you a very important fact - 99% of all fish oil side effects can be easily avoided if you choose the right kind of fish based oil supplements. People who usually complain about side effects either take an inappropriately large dose of fish oil supplements or take bad quality fish based oil supplements. If you do neither, you can safely avoid all the side effects and enjoy the health benefits of fish based oil. Let us now take a look at some of the most common side effects and how you can avoid them.

Fishy aftertaste or repeat - This is easily the most common side effect with fish oil based supplements. However, you need to understand that high quality fish based oil does not smell bad and it does not cause 'repeat' or give you a bad aftertaste. This side effect is only seen with bad quality oxidized oils. If you cut a fish oil capsule, it should not smell bad. If it does, you can conclude that it is made from low quality fish oil.

Indigestion, vomiting, or heartburn - These side effects are usually seen in people who take fish based oil capsules on an empty stomach. These problems can be easily avoided by taking these capsules with food or with a snack. Also, like I already said, such fish oil side effects are usually not seen in people who take high quality supplements.

Risks of bleeding - Sometimes, taking a large dose of fish based oil capsules could increase the risk of bleeding in people who are undergoing anticoagulant therapy. Since the omega 3 fatty acids present in fish based oil have blood thinning properties, they should not be consumed in large amount if you are already taking blood thinners like aspirin or warfarin. However, this claim has not been proven without any doubt so far. Though a number of clinical studies have been done, there is no concrete evidence to suggest that fish based oil should not be taken along with aspirin or warfarin. However, it is always advisable to suggest your doctor before taking omega 3 fatty acid supplements if you are on these medications.

Mercury poisoning - This is what most people are afraid of when it comes to fish oil side effects. A number of seas around the world have been polluted badly thanks to endless dumping of industrial trash and other unwanted substances. As a result, the fish captured from these regions are found to have dangerously high levels of mercury which is a toxic substance. Mercury poisoning could be very dangerous for young children and pregnant women.

To avoid this, you need to go for fish oil based supplements which are made from cold water fish like hoki and tuna which are found in certain regions of the Southern Ocean where there are no risks of mercury contamination. So, these types of fish are pure and safe to consume when compared to other types of fish captured from polluted regions. Also, make sure you choose a supplement which has been molecularly distilled to get rid of the harmful contaminants and impurities. If you choose a pure, high quality product, you do not have to worry about harmful fish based oil side effects like mercury poisoning at all.

Overdose - The USDA has not established a recommended dietary intake (RDI) for omega 3 fatty acids. Depending on your health condition and based on your doctor's suggestion, you can take anywhere from one to four capsules a day. Unless you have a medical problem which prevents you from taking fish, you need not worry about fish oil side effects and can take fish based oil capsules regularly.

There you have it folks. This is pretty much what you need to know about fish based oil supplements. The point I want to make is simple - if you choose the right product, you do not have to worry about fish oil side effects. So, keep the tips mentioned above in mind and choose the right product today.

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