Omega 3 fish oils

[pixiepud]

I'm taking the Holland and Barratt Omega 3 Fish oils, it has the quality assured stamp, has no Vitamin A or mercury listed on the ingredients or anywhere on the bottle. When i found out i was pregnant i took them into the doctor to ask if they were ok, he looked at it and said they were fine, so i carried on taking them. I go to my midwife and explain what i'm taking (didn't take them in this time) and she advises me not to and to start taking the proper pregnancy based ones especially designed for pregnancy. I kind of took the hump about this because i looked at the pregncare ones (or whatever they are) and they are listed exactly the same as the ones i'm taking, same stuff, taken from the body of the fish etc, but priced alot more for alot less. I respect they just giving good advice but surely the ones i'm taking are ok ? are they? With my first pregnancy i just took ones from asda (omega 3,7,9) and hes as intelligent as Einstein himself lol.

pixie, as long as they don't have fish liver in them then they will be okay as far as I know. I am taking a cytoplan one with no retinol or fish liver and am perfectly happy that I have chosen the right ones.

They dont mention about having fish liver in them...
Each softgel capsule contains

%EC RDA*
Fish Oil
1,000mg **
typically providing
EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) **
DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) **
Total Omega-3 Fatty Acids
300mg **
Vitamin E 0.74mg a-TE

(1.1 I.U.) 10%

I would email them or give them a ring just to check. mine say this:

EPA 330.0mg
DHA 220.0mg
Total Omega 3 Content 550.0mg
Total Oil Content 1000.0mg
Non-Active Ingredients: Glycerine, gelatin (from BSE-free source).
Non GM & Free From: Wheat; yeast, starch, gluten; lactose; added colourings, sweeteners & preservatives.

which look the same as yours except with more omega 3 and no vit E...sometimes they use fish livers. it isn't clear on the web site but they won't mind you calling, I checked with cytoplan and mine were not liver based.

I'm 24 weeks pregnant and I am taking the same H&B omega-3s. I'm also a dietitian and there is very good evidence to advise that pregnant women take omega 3s for brain, heart, eye health etc. of the baby. It is one of the few things that I am (quietly) evangelical about!
I think your midwife was just being very cautious about which supplements are safe to take in pregnancy, it can be tricky to know.

I've been taking these:
Holland & Barrett - Triple Omega 3-6-9 Capsules (1000mg)
Ester Omega™ is a highly concentrated and purified Omega-3 Fish Oil selected from the finest deep sea, cold water fish. Scientifically formulated in an antioxidant matrix to enhance potency, Ester Omega™ provides superior absorption of Omega-3 EPA and DHA fatty acids by the body. Ester Omega™ is molecularly distilled to remove mercury, PCB's, heavy metals and dioxins.

All through my pregnancy, and I'm now 26 weeks. Just wanted to say the same thing happened with me. GP said fine and MW told me not to use these but rather to op for a pregnancy specific brand.
Have no idea about the fish liver thing - assume that as long as they don't contain 'cod liver oil' then I'm fine.

not really best to check am sure they don't have liver in them but some brands use the liver for the products and we aren't allowed that!

I understand. But if the liver of the fish is used wouldn't that be a source of Vit A and as such would be listed?

hmm i guess so. i think if bethy is taking them they must be okay as she is a dietician! I think your right bonbon. Let's say that's settled, but if in doubt check with supplier.

I'm taking them too - I emailed H&B and got this response:

Thank you for your enquiry relating to the Holland & Barrett - Omega 3 Fish Oil Concentrate Capsules (1000mg).

This product is made using the body of oily fish and does not contain any fish liver oil. It therefore has negligible levels of vitamin A within it.

Kind regards,

Alexander Thompson, BSc (Hons)

Hth xx

It's possible that the midwife was being cautious because AFAIK no-one's sure if you can overdose on these Omega-3 oils; my Boots ones contain 300mg DHA and 64mg EPA. So they have more DHA than you've mentioned, but lots less EPA. The most recent study to come out re:Omega-3 in pregnancy focused on the effects of DHA, not EPA, so personally I'm not sure about how safe it is.

You're right about pregnancy vitamins being ridiculously overpriced for what they are!!

Sorry, should have said that I'm taking Boots pregnancy vitamins which contain omega-3...

I've taken fish oil throughout both my pregnancies. Something worth thinking about is that fish oil can thin your blood out so you're advised to stop taking it a few weeks before major surgery (or childbirth!). I no longer live in the UK and my local supplements actually have a warning on the jar. (I stopped at 34 weeks I think,but was expecting to give birth early... Ended up at 40+5...)

Quote: "Fish oil supplements may not be suitable for infants and small children because the brain doesn't need EPA and in trying to get DHA gets too much EPA. "

This is why I would avoid normal Omega 3 suppliments like Holland and Barrett's. And explains why Pregnacare has a very small amount of EPA compared to DHA.

Oh blimey I'm taking the boots omega vitamins (not pregnancy ones) on top of my pregnancare normal vitamin and now I think I shouldn't be! I had no idea it was so complicated.

Same here Seven! I've taken the pregnacare plus the whole way through but didn't want to buy them at £15 a box yesterday as I'm due in 2 weeks! I opted for boots branded pregnancy vitamin and a 99p pack of boots omega 3... I never even realised till I read this that there were so many variants!
I think I may just knock the omega 3 on the head now... or is that bad at this late stage?

I have no idea ARL! I'm away for Christmas and didn't bring the vitamin box. I know I bought the right amount as I looked it up at the time after accidentally taking double the recommended for a few weeks before I realised. I think I might carry on taking it for now. I think when I run out pregnancy vitamins I'll splash out and get the one where it's included.