Are there any long term side effects of ALA and Fish Oil?

[Advaik]

I got my friend interested in ALA and Fish Oil. My question is, is there any long term side effects of taking 20g Fish Oil and 5g ALA everyday for life? I know ALA can lead to iron defiency, so I suggested that he takes a good multivitamin twice a day, but is there anything else he should be worried about?

 

[Flash_75]

low bodyfat

 

[Advaik]

Any bad side effect?

 

[SirWanksalot]

fish and flax for that matter are both very active oils and may cause oxidation. therefor taking extra vitamin E (an anti-oxidant)is a good way to control any extra oxidation caused by the oils.

lots of the fish caps have vitamin e included (check the ingredients list) already.

 

[Blood&Iron]

Any bad side effect?

Well, that's a pretty huge amount of ALA to be taking on a daily basis. It might lead to kidney stones, particularly if one is predisposed to them. Not sure if there's anything else. In terms of the fish oils, I don't think there have been any long-term studies on that high an intake, but off-hand I don't believe he should run into any problems. The only thing that might be an issue is, depending on the source of the fish oil, heavy metals-- the overconsumption of which can, over time, lead to neurological disorders(Of course, tuna if consumed in sufficient quantities over a long enough period of time has the same potential.)

 

[THeMaCHinE]

Well, that's a pretty huge amount of ALA to be taking on a daily basis. It might lead to kidney stones, particularly if one is predisposed to them. Not sure if there's anything else. In terms of the fish oils, I don't think there have been any long-term studies on that high an intake, but off-hand I don't believe he should run into any problems. The only thing that might be an issue is, depending on the source of the fish oil, heavy metals-- the overconsumption of which can, over time, lead to neurological disorders(Of course, tuna if consumed in sufficient quantities over a long enough period of time has the same potential.)

ALA is a chelator, it should leach the metals from the body. For long-term, I would suggest only R-type ALA for your friend, and at a lower dosage. Although I think racemic is fine for short ALA cycles, I'd be concerned about the effects of long-term exposure to S-type ALA.