Fish Oil -- Safer Than Eating Fish

Fearing that mercury and other toxic contaminants in fish may do more harm than good, some experts are recommending fish oil capsules over fish as a primary source of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids.

One is Kent Lewandrowski, MD, a pathologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School , who appeared recently on the Jean Carper Radio Show.

Dr. Lewandrowski, who says he takes fish oil capsules to lower his own risk of cardiovascular disease, advises his teenage children to take fish oil, and thinks that cardiologists should recommend fish oil to all their patients, not just to those with high triglycerides.     

Recent alarming studies have shown that eating mercury-contaminated fish inflicts heart damage that offsets or exceeds the benefits of omega-3 fats in the fish, Dr. Lewandrowski pointed out.  

Carper noted a recent Harvard study showing that babies born to mothers who ate fish high in mercury had lower IQs than babies whose mothers ate fish low in mercury.

Since it is difficult for consumers to be sure they are eating fish low in toxins, Dr. Lewandrowski favors fish oil supplements that are routinely processed and purified to remove mercury and other environmental toxins, such as PCBs. He and colleagues recently tested commercial fish oil capsules and found them virtually free of toxic hazards, including mercury.

Dr. Lewandrowski takes 500 mg of EPA-DHA omega-3 fish oil in a capsule every day. He also advises those with heart disease, depression and pregnant women to check with their physicians about the advisability and proper doses of fish oil before self-medicating.

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