Complete Guide to Omega 3
The complete guide to Omega 3 fatty acid supplementation for people with kidney disease
We are going to see the best way to get enough omega 3s to get a tangible result, the correct dosages, how to get omega 3s from food and we’ll also see how to choose the right supplement for you.
Sources
Blood pressure
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26817716
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8339414
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24610882
Tryglicerides
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21924882
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18774613
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25122648
Inflammation
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21219177
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26711676
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2628602/
Depression
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18640689
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3905735/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178115003844
Cholesterol levels
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2691812
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12351465
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9571330
uremic pruritus
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241408/Omega 3s can really DO WONDERS if you want to LOWER YOUR CREATININE LEVELS.
And that’s a fact.
Actually, there are VERY FEW home remedies that can REALLY help kidney patients in ALL THE STAGES.
And, in my experience, omega 3 fatty acids are among the few that really works.
My name is Katherine and I’ve been working with kidney disease patients for 7 years.
I’ve seen people getting back their kidney function with an improved diet and lifestyle and, many of them, are using omega 3s.
And if you’re new here on 00Kidney, subscribe now and click the notification bell, so you’re not missing my updates.
But, before you start taking omega 3s, I want you to know that there could also be dangers connected to the use of this supplement MANY PEOPLE ARE NOT AWARE OF.
Not all brands are safe for people with kidney disease, ok?
And, well, I’ve seen recommendations for the dosages of omega 3s all over the place, especially here on Youtube.
So, I know for sure that very few people get the right dosage.
Now, the good part is that as soon as you start getting omega 3s the right way, you’ll notice it.
Immediately.
For example on your mood, because Omega 3s fight depression.
But also if you suffer from Itchy Skin as a complication of CKD. Yes, Omega 3 can alleviate it.
And you’ll see a difference in your creatinine levels too.
Now, to get these benefits just eating fish once in a while or guzzling a couple of pills is not enough.
Also, not all omega 3s brands are the same. Some oils are better than others for protection against kidney disease.
For example, the omega 3s you may be taking may contain too few DHA or EPA to be effective.
Or it can be downright unhealthy for you if it’s made from certain oils.
Another thing even doctors get wrong is forgetting to tell people that they need to limit their omega 6s intake to get benefits from omega 3s.
So, DHA, EPA, omega 3s, omega 6s…
All this may sound confusing, right?
This is why today I’m presenting you the complete guide to Omega 3 fatty acid supplementation for people with kidney disease.
We are going to see the best way to get enough omega 3s to get a tangible result, the correct dosages, how to get omega 3s from food and we’ll also see how to choose the right supplement for you.
Let’s start immediately:
Here’s why I think people with kidney disease should take omega 3s:
Some of the proven benefits of a diet rich in omega 3s, include:
- better mental health and reduced risk for depression. And don’t underestimate this benefit, people suffering from depression are almost always going to get worse outcomes from chronic diseases.
studies indicate that people who consume omega-3s regularly are less likely to be depressed. But also, when people with depression or anxiety start taking omega-3 supplements, their symptoms improve almost immediately. - Omega3s can fight autoimmune diseases. This include type 1 diabetes but also lupus, arthritis AND EVEN IgA nephropathy.
IgA nephropathy is an autoimmune kidney disorder that has NO CURE.
OMEGA 3S CAN SLOW DOWN IT’S PROGRESSION.
The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil prevent inflammation in the kidney, alright?
and this slows down the progression of kidney disease.
Let’s notice that this mechanism WORKS for people with chronic kidney disease caused BY OTHER PATHOLOGIES TOO.
because
- OMEGA 3S CAN FIGHT INFLAMMATION.
Chronic kidney disease has a very important inflammatory component. In short, inflammation actively damages your kidneys.
Omega 3 fatty acids can reduce the production of molecules and substances linked to inflammation, ok?
This slows down the progression of the disease and can ACTUALLY LOWER YOUR CREATININE LEVELS.
But it’s not all.
Omega-3s Can Improve all the main Risk Factors for kidney disease, heart disease and metabolic syndrome.
These include: - Blood pressure,
- Inflammation, as we have seen
But even insulin resistance and this is incredibly important for people with type 2 diabetes.
And this home remedy can also help uremic pruritus. The itchy skin caused by kidney disease
More about this in a moment.
Now, if this seems to good to be true, double check the studies I’m referring to, if you want.
The links you can see in my slides are also in description.
And, when’ you’re done, get back here because there’s more that you need to know about omega 3s.
First of all,
Not all sources of omega 3s are going to give you these benefits, ok?
Because there’s fish oil supplements, omega 3 supplements, animal sources of omega 3s, there’s liver oils, there’s omega 6s…
Some of these are good and some are bad for you, ok?
so let’s see why
There are several sources of Omega 3 fatty acids we should consider.
Very first one is fatty fish. It’s the best way to get omega 3s but it’s not always enough.
Mackerel, herring, sardines, anchovies, salmon are all good sources of omega 3s.
And you should definitely include them in your diet.
Eating them two or three times per week would be best.
Now, in a renal diet you should also limit protein. And these fishes are very rich in protein.
So it’s unlikely that you will be able to get all the Omega 3s that you need just from the diet.
Now, omega 3s can be found in plants too.
Chia seeds, flaxseed and walnuts are good sources, but we should also consider that it is not the same omega 3s we can find in fishes, ok?
There are three main types of omega-3 fatty acids: ALA, EPA and DHA.
ALA is found in plants, and it’s not the active form. Meaning that it can help you a little bit, but your body is not going to use all of it, ok?
EPA and DHA are a lot better for you, they’re what you can find in fatty fish and supplements.
EPA fights inflammation and DHA is for brain health.
This is what you want, ok?
Now talking about supplements, there are thousands different brands and types of omega 3s you can find.
How to find the right one?
Omega-3 dietary supplements include fish oil, krill oil, cod liver oil, halibut liver oil, and algal oil.
These are totally different things, ok?
Fish oil supplements are the most used and the most researched.
This is what you want.
And absolutely avoid supplements containing cod liver oil and halibut liver oil.
These fish liver oils contain large amounts of vitamin A
It’s dangerous for people with kidney disease because it can accumulate and become toxic.
So double check anything you may be already taking and stop taking it if it contains these two, ok?
Krill oil may be a good choice too, but it’s less accessible and pricier than regular fish oil.
Also, there are less studies on it.
Algal oil is an interesting choice for vegetarians.
But while algae oils do contain large amounts of brain-boosting DHA, most don’t contain any EPA fatty acids at all.
So, better stick to fish oil unless you have to keep your diet vegan or vegetarian.
To recap, prefer fish oil supplements and absolutely avoid liver oil.
Now, to find the right brand of fish oil supplement, you should consider two things:
The EPA and DHA content and the fish they’re getting the oil from.
This is an easy way to find the best brands.
So, look at the label and see how much EPA and DHA the supplement you’re buying contains, ok?
An omega-3 fish oil supplement is most effective when it contains high concentrations of EPA and DHA rich fish oil.
Unfortunately, common fish oil supplements can contain as little as 8% of active DHA and EPA, and instead include inferior fish oil that may not be beneficial to your health.
And choose a brand that tells you where they’re getting the fish oil.
choose fish oil that is derived from wild, cold-water fish that are low on the food chain, such as sardines and anchovies.
Avoid fish oils that are sourced from bottom feeders, scavengers or farm-raised fish.
Now, maybe the most important thing when starting supplementing with Omega 3 fatty acid is getting the correct dosage.
But this may be not always easy. Here’s why.
So, how much EPA and DHA should you take to get the benefits?
While this may seem like a simple question, the answer can actually be quite complicated.
Now, in this slide we can see what the dosages are for several conditions that can be treated with Omega 3s.
As I was saying, we should care about how much EPA and DHA we get daily.
The recommendation for healthy adults is a minimum of 250-500 mg combined EPA and DHA each day.
This is the bare minimum, ok?
Everyone should get this quantity of Omega 3s from their diet.
If you don’t get at least this quantity, you can experience symptoms like fatigue, poor memory, dry skin, heart problems, mood swings or depression, and poor circulation.
So, if you feel like you’re not getting enough Omega 3s from your diet, because you don’t eat fish every day, start with this dosage.
And, actually, it is quite difficult for a kidney patient to get enough omega 3s from the diet. Because of the protein.
And with most brands you may just be needing one or two pills per day to get this quantity.
Obviously talk to your doctor, but this dosage is basically safe for everyone.
Now, you may see here that I’m listing dosages for specific pathologies.
These are the results of the most recent studies on Omega 3s.
Most of the studies on heart disease and high blood pressure found out that the right dosage was 1,000 mg of combined EPA and DHA per day.
People with high triglycerides got better results with dosages ranging between 2,000 and 4,000 mg per day.
Now, there’s a very interesting study on people in the advanced stages of kidney disease who were treated with a higher dose of omega 3s.
We’re talking about 4.000 mg of combined EPA and DHA per day.
And while the results of this study are really encouraging, this is more than the FDA consider safe, alright?
So, you obviously would need to be followed by your doctor to get this much Omega 3s per day.
And the same applies to people suffering from IgA nephropathy.
Again, the sources of these studies are in description, so you can read them.
Or maybe print them and show the results to your doctor.
Now, my advice here is to start with lowest dosage, especially if you don’t get enough Omega 3s from your diet.
See how it makes you feel, alright?
Chances are that if you’re not taking Omega 3s already, minimum dosage will already make a big difference.
And that’s also the safest dosage.
The more the dosage, the more the side effects.
Let’s see why.
So, what side effects we should consider for Omega 3s.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, taking up to 3,000 mg of combined EPA and DHA per day from supplements is safe.
But there could be some mild side effects, even at low dosage. Upset stomach, heartburn or diarrhea may be experienced in some cases.
Not really common, actually, especially if you take the pills on a full stomach, which I strongly recommend.
Now, the only real problem worth mentioning is the blood-thinning effects of omega 3s.
This usually happens with higher doses.
So, speak to your doctor if you have a bleeding disorder or are taking blood thinning medications like aspirin or warfarin.
The other interaction is with medications for high blood pressure.
Omega 3s will help you lowering your blood pressure, and that’s good.
But you should get monitored by your doctor when you start this supplement, because there’s the chance of your blood pressure going too low.
That would be a good thing, actually, because your doctor could then lower your dose of high blood pressure medications and that would be really good.
Now, a very important thing we should consider is the OMEGA 6 TO OMEGA 3 RATIO.
OMEGA 6
Omega-6 fatty acids are types of fats contained in many oils. They’re not really healthy.
Especially because the typical Western diet contains around 10 times more omega-6s than omega-3s.
And too much omega 6 can raise your blood pressure, lead to blood clots that can cause heart attack and stroke, and cause your body to retain water.
So, rather than just taking omega 3s, also reduce your intake of omega 6s, ok?
Sources of omega 6s include Safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds.
Many of these oils are used in processed foods and in unhealthy ways of cooking. They’re not healthy choices.
Now, too many people consume a lot of these sources of omega 6s and too few omega 3s.
The problem is that they compete for the same receptors, alright?
This means that eating too many foods rich or cooked in these oils will prevent your body from absorbing the omega 3s you need.
And this is just another reason to avoid processed foods and junk foods in general.
Ok guys, I think you should have all the info to get the best from a home remedy as powerful as Omega 3s now.
But if you have any doubt feel free to ask in comment section. I always try to answer as much comments as I can!
This is all for today, see you next time and thank you for watching!
About the Author
Michaelw Hi, my name is Michael and in this blog I'm gonna share the story of how I got off kidney dialysis for good. Getting off dialysis isn't easy at all, and that's why I'm trying to help people as much as I can.
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