[LauRa Lu]

I recently orderd a booklet about cholesterol and diabetes from Diabetes Uk. Most of the information is stuff I already knew. But one page mentions...
"Note that high levels of fish oils are not recommended if you have diabetes".

How high is high exactly?

When I was told I had a high cholesterol I started to eat quite alot of fish because I thought it was good for me, and I like it too. I didn't eat alot of it before because its usually expensive.

Does anyone know why fish oils can be bad for us? I didn't think too much fish would ever be a bad thing. The booklet doesn't say anything bout how much is too much, perhaps it could just mean taking supplements or something... is there anything thats actually good for us??

[Starlight]

I eat two pieces of fish a week, i thought it was very healthy for us. Maybe they mean fish oil supplements, in tablet form?

[MarkMunday]

In the "Cautions" section of a webpage about fish oil supplements, I found the following comment :

"If you have diabetes, don't take fish oil supplements unless your doctor recommends it; some studies indicate that they may make it more difficult to control blood sugar levels."

I had never heard this before, and I don't know what the logic behind it is. I found that eating a can of sardines or a similar amount of tuna every day improved both my lipid profile and blood sugar control.

Cheers,

Mark

[MarkMunday]

LauRa Lu,

For a summary of research into the effects of fish oil on Diabetics, read this article :

http://www.oilofpisces.com/diabetes.html

The conclusions are generally favourable. But decreased insulin sensitivity following the supplementation of fish oil in the diet has been reported. It is thought that this could be a transitory effect.

The best way to find out if it works for you is to try it and see what happens.

Cheers,

Mark

[Peter Lee]

I have been taking two teaspoons of cod liver oil a day for over 40 years now. Since I was diagnosed last year neither of my doctors nor the diabetes nurse asked whether I was taking fish oil supplements. Also, as medications were introduced to control the diabetes, they worked exactly as predicted - including the known side effects I am now under completer control at an average of 6 (108) and an hba1c of 6.2 (111.6).

So, my experience says that (for me) fish oil supplements have no noticable effect.