A good rule of thumb to follow in improving your nutritional status is that food sources of a nutrient will be superior to a nutritional supplement. However, a recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that fish oil supplements worked as well as fish at improving the Omega 3 status of the study participants.
Participants were given a daily Omega 3 supplement with 485 mg of EPA + DHA (specific types of Omega 3s) or a diet of fish with about 3400 mg of EPA + DHA over the course of a week. The fish diet group consumed an equivalent amount of Omega 3 fatty acids as did the supplement group over the course of a week. Researchers followed them for sixteen weeks.
What this means for you is that if you do not like fish or do not have access to fish you do like, fish oil is a good option for you to meet your Omega 3 requirements. Keep in mind, however, that fish itself is rich in vitamins and minerals that you will not be getting in the fish oil bottle. From an overall dietary perspective, the actual fish is going to be your best bet (with the usual caveats about finding fish low in mercury and other toxins).
Read more at this site on Omega 3 fatty acids:
Omega 3 Round-Up
Read more offsite on fish selection
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on fish
Sustainable Choices from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and from Environmental Defense (Ocean’s Alive).
