Quote:
Originally Posted by LovazaGirl
Hello Lovaza Users,
My endocrinologist told me that OTC Omega-3 medications are only absorbed in the body at a rate of around 20 - 40%. "Lovaza" is absorbed at 80% or more, proving it is much more affective in improving the body's HDL, LDL, and Triglyceride levels.
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I don't believe this. I
don't believe that Lovaza is somehow more "absorbable" than any other fish oil product out there.
That said - I do think Lovaza is higher potency than your average, run-of-the-mill fish oil cap that you'd find in the drug store, or the local big-box store.
So yeah, if you wanted to get the same dosage/potency - you might have to take a whole bunch of softgels to get the same therapeutic effect as the Lovaza - but at the same time - there *are* other high-quality fish oil products out there.
I think that Lovaza is a 'high potency' fish oil, but I also think you can find the same thing at your local health food store. Maybe not the drug store or Wal-Mart, but certainly at your local health food store.
What's neat about the Lovaza story is that there are studies proving it's effectiveness in reducing trigylcerides. I've even seen references to fish oil supplementation being effective at lowering blood pressure too - by about 20% overall.
Thing is - if you shop around, you can find equally high-potency fish oil - particularly, Carlson's Liquid Lemon Flavoured Fish Oil. This can be kind of pricey, compared to standard fish oil caps - but it's like $25 for 100 doses of very high potency fish oil - as potent, actually *more* potent - than this 'prescription' fish oil. The only difference is that Lovaza has received FDA approval for somehow proving (to the FDA) it's effectiveness in lowering triglyceride levels.
So, the Lovaza is:
EPA 465mg
DHA 375 mg
http://www.lovaza.com/consumer/abou...medication.html
And the Carlson's Liquid Lemon Flavoured Fish Oil (one teaspoon serving) is:
EPA 800 mg
DHA 500 mg
http://www.vitacost.com/Carlson-The...IngredientFacts
And yet, the Carlson's liquid fish oil is available from places like vitacost dot com for like $23 per bottle, and each bottle contains 100 doses. I've seen this liquid lemon fish oil product priced as high as $37 per bottle (that's 100 doses) at local health food stores, so it pays to shop around.
I do believe that Lovaza is a higher potency fish oil product, compared to most fish oil softgel capsules that you'd find in the usual places - the drugstore, the big-box store or whatever, and that you'd need to take multiple doses to get the same high EPA/DHA, but at the same time - I also know there are very high potency, high-quality fish oil products on the market that don't require a prescription, and I don't for a minute believe that the prescription variety is somehow 'more absorbable' than any other kind of fish oil.
Fish oil is fish oil, and the only thing that's different about Lovaza is it's slightly higher-than-average potency, and the fact that it's the *only* fish oil that has received "FDA approval" for being effective in lowering triglycerides.
PS - Forgive my little 'mini rant'