HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEROY!!
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Marjorie had asked about fish oil in my condo today, and I had typed up some general information about fish oil there, that I thought would be better shared in Loose Lips so as not to tie up Wilie's condo. I did a ton of research on fish oil last fall after my doctor recommended it to me. It is a largely unregulated product, which has meant that companies use all kinds of numbers and claims to confuse people into buying their products. Here is some general info to help folks make good decisions on what to buy:
Labels on fish oil can be very confusing. You'll see # mg of fish oil, # mg of Omega 3 and #mg each of EPA/DHA. EPA and DHA are the two omega 3 fatty acids that have been proven to show positive benefits. There are others as well that are considered to be less beneficial. So, when figuring out how much to take, you need to look at the EPA/DHA number and see how many pills you need to get to the number your vet or doctor has given you. My doctor says take 3,000mg/day for general health, 4,000mg/day to affect cholesterol/triglycerides, 5,00mg/day for depression and 5,000-6,00/day for inflammation.
As an example, Costco has four different options for fish oil:
Nature Made-- 2400mg "fish oil" per
two capsules, 360mg EPA, 120 mg DHA, 120 mg "other" Omega 3, 25 calories. $0.04/pill.
Nature's Bounty Maximum Strength-- 1400mg "fish oil" per capsule, 700 EPA, 280 DHA, 10 calories. $0.11/pill.
Kirkland Regular-- 1000mg "fish oil" per capsule, 300mg EPA/DHA/Other (doesn't specify), 10 calories, $0.02/pill
Kirkland Enteric-- 1200 mg "fish oil" per capsule, 410 mg EPA, 274mg DHA, 10 calories per pill, $0.09/pill
At a blush, it is hard to break down the differences, especially given that some products will list the info for two capsules while others list it for one.
Lets say you want to take approximately 3000mg EPA/DHA per day:
Nature Made-- 12 pills= 2880mg, 300 calories, $0.48/dose
Nature's Bounty-- 3 pills= 2940mg, 30 calories, $0.33/dose
Kirkland Regular-- 10+ pills =3000mg (total Omega 3, not clear how much EPA/DHA), 300 calories, $0.22/dose
Kirkland Enteric-- 4 pills = 2736mg, 40 calories, $0.36/dose
It takes a little work, but knowing what to look for and breaking down the numbers to an apples to apples comparison helps make decisions much easier.
While Kirkland regular appears to be the cheapest, you're getting a huge number of calories, likely a ton of fish burps (no coating) and you have to take 10 pills a day... which contain just under 10,000mg of "other" fish oil that isn't Omega 3. The Nature's Bounty product is new, and it is VERY similar to OmegaVia in terms of the EPA/DHA amounts, and if commenters on costco.com aren't being given the run around from the company, it is sourced from small wild fish from U.S. and Canadian waters. I was quite surprised... this appears to be a very high quality product that is easily the best drugstore branded product on the market (assuming you get that particular variety).
I personally think sourcing is very important, both in terms of the type of fish being used (the smaller the fish, the less risk of contaminants) and country of origin (problems have been noted with fish oil sourced from Chinese fish). Note that this is something you may have to ask... right now, if fish oil pills are manufactured in the US, the manufacturer can claim they are of U.S. origin, even if the fish themselves came from China.
One last thing... fish oil can go rancid, so it is best to keep in the freezer, especially if you buy in bulk.
Hope folks find this information helpful!
Iz trilling and talking this morning 
