How much salmon oil should you take for bipolar disorder? Excellent question! And the award goes to Emile who wrote this as a comment on another post:

“What dosage of omega 3 fish oil capsules a day for bi-polar is enough. Thanks”

I’ve always assumed 1000 mg per day (1 gram) was the recommended dosage – because in all my years of taking it that is what the supplements give for a daily dose.

I was diagnosed Manic Depressive in 1984 at the age of 19. No, no one ever told me to take salmon oil to help my condition. I had to figure it out on my own.

Related post: How Omega 3 Fatty Acids Help Bipolar Disorder + My Story.

Now there is much research that has shown a benefit for symptoms of bipolar disorder.

FDA Classifies Up to 3 Grams of Omega-3s Per Day as Safe

The below is from an article: “Fish Oil to Treat Depression?”

“The Food and Drug Administration is now considering what quantity of omega-3s to recommend; currently it has no recommendation but classifies three grams per day as ‘safe.'”

Source: WebMD

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a fact sheet for health professionals on omega-3 fatty acids. Here’s what they have to say:

“… according to the European Food Safety Authority, long-term consumption of EPA and DHA supplements at combined doses of up to about 5 g/day appears to be safe.”

“It noted that these doses have not been shown to cause bleeding problems or affect immune function, glucose homeostasis, or lipid peroxidation.”

“The FDA recommends not exceeding 3 g/day EPA and DHA combined, with up to 2 g/day from dietary supplements [168]. Some doses used in clinical trials exceed these levels.”

Source: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Fact Sheet.

Large doses above 3 grams (3000 mg) per day could be harmful. You could increase your risk of bleeding (very important for anyone taking anticoagulant medication) and of having a stroke.

2 Quality Products at Low Cost

Here are two brands you can try, there are many more available. Just buy a quality supplement and not at Walmart!

1. Omega Factors Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil

2. MRM Fresh Omega Pure Extra Virgin Norwegian Salmon Oil

Don’t buy fish oil that could be from many different types of fish and contain contaminants (mercury, PCBs). Buy a 100% salmon oil product.

Salmon Oil is Not a Bipolar Cure or a Quick Fix for Severe Illness

Know that taking a salmon oil supplement is not a quick fix type of solution. It is a long-term treatment that could help to lessen severe mood states, both depression and mania.

How? By treating an underlying biological cause of your illness.

And it has been proven to be effective. So just buy it, take it daily and stick with it.

It may take a month or more to notice any change but regardless you are helping many different things in your body i.e. heart health, inflammation that contributes to chronic illness, etc.

Children Benefit From Omega-3 Fatty Acids

If you are Manic Depressive that has been proven to have a genetic susecptability and have children, it would be very smart to give them salmon oil. To prevent onset of the illness.

There are many brands marketing fish oil supplements to children. You would need to research and find a quality product and also give an amount appropriate for their age.

Here are ten medical studies about omega-3 fatty acids and bipolar disorder – from the 1990s up to today and all found favorable results. If you have a mood disorder it would be very smart to take a high-quality salmon oil supplement.

Not for a bipolar cure, but to lessen the severity of episodes and prevent episodes. Omega-3 studies with children show similar positive results.

Related post: Salmon Oil, Fish Oil or Krill Oil – What is Best for Bipolar Disorder?

If you have children help them to take it regularly too. No parent wants their child to develop Manic Depression. Be proactive in preventing onset of the illness.

10 Medical Studies About Omega 3 Fatty Acids and Bipolar Disorder

1. Effects of Omega-3 Supplement in the Treatment of Patients with Bipolar I Disorder. International Journal of Preventative Medicine, May, 2016.

“The results of this study showed that supplements containing omega-3 are useful in the treatment of BID.”

“The use of supplements containing omega-3 along with other treatments is recommended based on the consideration of high prevalence of BID, the impossibility of making this substance in the human body, and the body’s need for external supplements amount of this substance.”

2. Omega-3 for Bipolar Disorder: Meta-analyses of Use in Mania and Bipolar Depression. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, January, 2012.

“The meta-analytic findings provide strong evidence that bipolar depressive symptoms may be improved by adjunctive use of omega-3.”

“The evidence, however, does not support its adjunctive use in attenuating mania.”

3. Omega 3 Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder: A Preliminary Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Journal of American Psychiatry, May, 1999.

“Omega-3 fatty acids used as an adjunctive treatment in bipolar disorder resulted in significant symptom reduction and a better outcome when compared with placebo in this pilot study.”

“Improvement was significantly greater in the ω3 fatty acid group than the olive oil control group on almost every assessment measure.”

“The striking difference in relapse rates and response appeared to be highly clinically significant.”

4. Omega-3 Fatty Acid Treatment and T2 Whole Brain Relaxation Times in Bipolar Disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry, October, 2004.

“Bipolar subjects who received omega-3 fatty acids had significant decreases in T2. There was a dose-dependent effect when the bipolar omega-3 fatty acid group was subdivided into high- and low-dose cohorts.”

“Omega-3 fatty acids lowered T2 values, consistent with the hypothesis that the fluidity of cell membranes was altered.”

“Further studies are needed to clarify the significance of alterations in brain physiology induced by omega-3 fatty acids, as reflected in T2 values.”

5. Efficacy of Ethyl-eicosapentaenoic Acid in Bipolar Depression: Randomised Double-blind Placebo-controlled Study. The British Journal of Psychiatry, January, 2006.

“Significant improvement was noted with ethyl-EPA treatment compared with placebo in the HRSD (P=0.04) and the CGI (P=0.004) scores. Both doses were well tolerated.”

“Adjunctive ethyl-EPA is an effective and well-tolerated intervention in bipolar depression.”

6. A Meta-Analytic Review of Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trials of Antidepressant Efficacy of Omega-3 Fatty Acids. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, April, 2006.

“In this study, we found omega-3 PUFAs significantly improved depressive symptoms in subjects with mood disorders, with clearly defined depression, or with bipolar disorder.”

“The dosage of EPA did not change the antidepressant efficacy significantly. However, significant heterogeneity among these studies and publication bias were noted.”

7. Omega-3 Fatty Acids Decreased Irritability of Patients with Bipolar Disorder in an Add-on, Open Label Study. Nutrition Journal, February, 2005.

“Omega-3 Fatty Acid intake helped with the irritability component of patients suffering from bipolar disorder with a significant presenting sign of irritability.”

“Low dose (1 to 2 grams per day), add-on O-3FA may also help with the irritability component of different clinical conditions, such as schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder and other psychiatric conditions with a common presenting sign of irritability.”

8. Fats and Factors: Lipid Profiles Associate with Personality Factors and Suicidal History in Bipolar Subjects. PLoS One, January, 2012.

“In previous studies, an effect of n-3 fatty acid supplementation has shown inconsistent association with improvements in bipolar symptomology and we suggest that this may be due to variable concentrations of other lipid species, either n-6 fatty acids that tend to compete with n-3 fatty acids in a variety of signaling, inflammatory and other pathways; or genetically variant enzyme activities that favor pooling one fatty acid over another.”

9. Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Bipolar Disorder: Clinical and Research Considerations. ScienceDirect, 2006.

“The pilot work suggests that it is feasible to conduct an adequately powered trial of the use of o-3 fatty acids in women with BD who choose to discontinue all conventional psychotropic medications while attempting to conceive.”

“Overall, the elucidation of the potential role of o-3 fatty acids as a treatment for BD as well as pregnancy in patients with BD requires further study.”

“The current data are not sufficient to support a recommendation of monotherapy treatment as a substitute for standard pharmacologic treatments.”

“However,judicious monotherapy use in select clinical situations, or adjunctive use, may be warranted pending further data from controlled clinical trials.”

10. Cross-National Comparisons of Seafood Consumption and Rates of Bipolar Disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, December, 2003.

“These data describe a robust correlational relationship between greater seafood consumption and lower prevalence rates of bipolar disorders.”

“These data provide a cross-national context for understanding ongoing clinical intervention trials of omega-3 fatty acids in bipolar disorders.”

Take a high-quality salmon oil product from wild-caught salmon. And you may help heal your bipolar mood swings and prevent future episodes of severe illness.

Cheers, Molly

Salmon oil, fish oil or krill oil – what is best for bipolar disorder? Is salmon oil or fish oil better for bipolar disorder? What’s krill oil and how does it fit into the mix? Is it better than salmon and fish oil for brain health?

I also found a bunch of articles touting the healing powers of ‘salmon fish oil’. Huh? So what’s the difference, what is out on the market and what type of supplement do you want to buy and take to help heal your bipolar disorder?

The technical answer is any supplement that contains both EPA and DHA on the label. The interaction of both is what is thought to have a beneficial effect.

The Three Main Types of Omega 3 Fatty Acids are ALA, EPA, and DHA

For brain health and bipolar we are interested in the long-chain Omega 3 fatty acids: EPA and DHA. These are found in some cold water (freshwater and saltwater) fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring) and shellfish. ALA is a short-chain fatty acid found in plants such as flaxseed.

Besides knowing you want to be increasing those all important Omega 3 fatty acids in your body, bloodstream and brain tissue… what type of fish oil should you buy? And what’s krill oil?

Here’s some basic info on fish oil and salmon oil supplemnts. The following section discusses krill oil.

Salmon Oil Supplements

Brands and quality of supplements will vary, but in general, is a better bet than generic fish oil.

One high quality (and not cheap) brand that undergoes independent testing by the National Science Foundation (NSF) is Vital Choice. That cheap brand at Walmart – who knows the quality, purity and actual levels of Omega 3’s inside.

Quoted from Vital Choice Wild Seafood and Organics website:

To ensure its purity, our wild salmon oil undergoes “molecular distillation” to remove contaminants such as mercury and PCBs. Accordingly, Vital Choice Wild Salmon Oil meets all international standards for purity, as certified by the widely respected organization NSF.

Source: Vital Choice FAQ.

I can’t afford their products – wish I could – but find quality brands on Iherb.com.

Fish Oil Supplements

Recent studies found fish oil to increase the effectiveness of antidepressants. Learn more here: Nutritional Supplements Help Antidepressants Work Better.

But fish oil contains some things you may not want to be ingesting – that is not present in high-quality salmon oil supplements – and the quality depends on the type of fish used, plus what parts of the fish. Neither of which will most likely be revealed on the label.

Salmon oil is a surer bet, and has a better ratio of fatty acids:

Salmon ranks the highest in nutritional value and omega-3 essential fatty acids known as eicosapentaenoic acid or EPA and docosahexaenoic acid or DHA.

Source: Salmon Oil vs Fish Oil Benefits and Side Effects.

Salmon Oil and Krill Oil May Help Heal Your Bipolar Disorder Click To Tweet

Dr. Mercola Recommends Krill Oil for Brain Health

I take salmon oil and have for years (off and on, now regularly). I know it has been tested in double-blind studies and found to reduce bipolar-related depression. After learning the below, and since it is a very low cost supplement, I may start adding in a capsule of krill oil daily along with my salmon oil supplement.

Related post: How Omega 3 Fatty Acids Help Bipolar Disorder + My Story.

The below is quoted from an article by Joseph Mercola, M.D.: “Do Some Fish Oil Supplements Contain Mercury?”

“Krill oil, on the other hand, is chock-full of natural antioxidants. In fact, research has shown it to be as much as 48 times higher in antioxidants than fish oil. So with krill oil, you can be sure you’re getting these incredibly healthy fats without having to worry about oxidation issues.”

“Additionally, whereas the DHA and EPA in fish oil are found in the triglyceride form, krill oil supplies them in a double chain phospholipid structure.”

Source: Mercola.com.

He explains why this double chain structure may be best for brain health:

“What makes this so beneficial is that the fats in your cell walls are in the phospholipid form, so the structure of the EPA and DHA in krill oil makes them much more absorbable. This is particularly beneficial for healthy brain function as your brain is highly dependent on DHA for optimal performance.”

Ignore the Detractors and Focus on Improving Your Health

One article in particular tried to denounce all the research that shows how Omega 3 fatty acids can improve health in a variety of ways. It was this New York Time’s May, 2015 piece: “Fish Oil Claims Not Supported by Research“.

Included in the article is this quote:

“Dr. JoAnn Manson, the chief of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said the large clinical trials of fish oil focused only on people who already had heart disease or were at very high risk.”

And many are on medications that would of course affect any noticeable improvements – or are elderly.

No article I’ve read claims Omega 3’s are a primary treatment for those with serious illness. Or will reverse age-related declining health. One study the NYT’s used to try and justify the claim their Big Pharma-supporting headline was making used 75 year old test subjects.

Hundreds of Studies Document Health Benefits of Fish Oil

There are many illnesses that have been studied that confirmed the health benefits of Omega 3s, not just “people who had a history of heart disease or strong risk factors for it, like high cholesterol, hypertension or Type 2 diabetes.”

I’d say shame on the NYT’s for publishing such trash but not sure it would make any difference; they clearly have no shame and are more interested in appeasing their Big Pharma-connected advertisers than ethical and accurate journalism.

I’d suggest their reporters check more facts and more studies before publishing such biased crap. I’m sure a few of the ‘hundreds of studies’ that have been done to show positive benefits of DHA and EPA for a wide range of health issues could be easily found with a little research effort.

Don’t their reporters have access to the Internet? Can they delineate the difference between ‘medical treatment’ for diagnosed, severe illness and ‘preventative care’. Do they know the defintion of the word ‘adjunctive’? And that Omega 3 fatty acids can help prevent many illnesses? Have they ever heard of inflammation?

Hundreds of studies suggest that omega-3s may provide some benefits to a wide range of diseases: cancer, asthma, depression, cardiovascular disease, ADHD, and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Source: WebMD.com.

Ignore the very few articles you will find saying there is little to no benefit to taking regular salmon oil, krill oil or fish oil supplements. Research and find a high-quality supplement, buy it, take it and keep making these excellent efforts to improve your health and try and reduce debilitating mood states of your bipolar disorder.

Photograph of grizzly bear and salmon is a free use image from Pixabay.com.