This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Good question - it depends on your diet. In general, you want omega 3 since omega 6 is very common in the typical diet, and a little olive oil will give you some omega 9. How much omega 3 is really an unknown. I would say at least 2000 a day. A good plan might be 2000 omega 3, and 1000 mixed omegas. Also eat some omega 3 rich foods in your diet, like wild salmon and flax seed. Look at the direct-ms website for lots of info on these kinds of things.

Just a note (I'm sure people get tired of hearing me say this, but...):

I've had bad reactions to many vitamins & supplements that are recommended for MS. Most omega 3's, (flaxseed, fish oil, walnuts), have given me worse problems than MS has ever given me, and shellfish sent me to the emergency room.

I only want to urge that people use a little caution, like trying one new supplement at a time or, like I do, start with small dosages and monitor your reactions.

Good luck!

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Dx'd with MS & HNPP (hereditary peripheral neuropathy) 7/03 but must have had MS for 30 yrs before that. I've never taken meds for MS or MS symptoms except 1 yr experiment on LDN. (I found diet, exercise, sleep, humor, music help me the most.)

If people are tired of hearing you, euphoniaa... I imagine that they are really rolling their eyes when they see a post from me!

Adam, I am the person here who obsesses about insulin. I try to avoid anything that will promote insulin secretion. Lately, I have found that, in addition to sugar, simple carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners like aspartame and Splenda, the polyols (sugar alcohols) like sorbitol and mannitol also promote insulin secretion in me.

Concerning sorbitol in particular, I discovered it was an ingredient in my toothpaste, in my mouthwash; and lately noticed it was an ingredient in my fish oil capsules (I even noticed it is in the MegaRed krill oil capsule product.). I suggest you scrutinize the ingredients label of any capsule you consider and avoid sorbitol, in case you are sensitive to it as I am.

Hi Adam,



The standard american diet (SAD) is pretty saturated with omega-6s. I would agree with the above recommendation to go with the straight omega-3s and try to get 2000 mg/day of combined DHA and EPA. However, there is one omega-6 that is of benefit which is not usually found in our diet. That's gamma-lenolenic acid (GLA) which is found in borage oil. Here are a couple of papers on GLA...

gamma-Linolenic acid treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. A randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
http://tinyurl.com/r6h89w

Polyunsaturated fatty acids in the pathogenesis and treatment of multiple sclerosis.
http://tinyurl.com/n58k69

Polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation stimulates differentiation of oligodendroglia cells.
http://tinyurl.com/oqbtfq

I also have a good review paper on omega-3s but I can't find it right now. I'll try to locate it and get a link to it posted.

By the way, I currently take 6g/day of fish oil which provides a combined EPA+DHA dosage of 1800mg.

NHE

just my two-bits, may be only worth half that... DHA is the one that is "used" by the brain. The omega 3's sourced from Flax seed, is not as bio-available as that sourced from animals (It comes in a form the body has to process to the "next step" for it to be used, and some question the bodys "willingness" to perform such)

Which fish oil supplements do you buy ?

There was recently some buzz about PCB contamination.
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/649 ... st_results

While California’s Proposition 65 requires consumers to be warned about exposures above "safe harbour" 90 ng/day,
FDA max allowed daily dose is 2000 ng/day ?

Anyone know of some similar contamination analysis of fish oil from smaller fish ? Smaller fish are said to contain lower amounts of PCB.
What about omega from vegetable sources ?

The effects of omega-3 Fatty acids on matrix metalloproteinase-9 production and cell migration in human immune cells: implications for MS

Abstract
In multiple sclerosis (MS), compromised blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity contributes to inflammatory T cell migration into the central nervous system.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is associated with BBB disruption and subsequent T cell migration into the CNS. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on MMP-9 levels and T cell migration.... Read More - http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseact ... pageid/721

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The Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre

Squiffy's House of Fun - Laughter for Multiple Sclerosis

Thanks for posting Squiffy

In the last 3 weeks I have jacked up my fish oil supplements from 2 to 5 grams (1.5g EPA & DHA) which would appear to be a decision backed up by your link.

Today on The Dr. Oz Show he expressed the opinion that Krill oil may be better, faster, stronger than fish oil for omega-3 fatty acids due to Astaxanthin in the Krill:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/new-omega-3