Unfortunately, there is no set amount. This is because, first of all, there is RDA (recommended daily allowance) set for omega-3’s.

Highest dose of omega-3 Benefits and Effects

Secondly, what the omega 3 requirements would be for, say, a healthy 35 year old adult would be different than what it would be for a 70 year old senior.

In the end, most people just look for the highest dose for omega-3 benefits and effects. However, this is not the best way to go because to take the most of something is not always the best thing one can do.

For one example, omega-3 oil acts as a blood thinner. Although this can be beneficial for many people, for other people already on blood thinners, it may be too much. Therefore, for these people already on blood thinners, they should not take the highest dose of omega-3 they can find.

Having said all of this, the rest of this article will address what we personally believe the recommended omega-3 amount should be for a typical adult in reasonably good health without any pre-existing health conditions.

For most people, taking 1 or 2 capsules a day of a purified fish oil supplement containing about 1,000 mg of omega 3 fatty acid will provide high quality and cheap health insurance.

Why fish oil?

Well, there are plant based sources of omega 3 fatty acids, such as flaxseed. But these are not as good as fish for a simple reason.

There are three types of omega 3 fats: ALA, DHA and EPA.

ALA is the form found in plant based sources. ALA needs to be converted by the body into DHA and EPA for use. This conversion sometimes does not happen efficiently.

Omega 3 fats in fish are found in the form usable by the body, DHA and EPA.

However, just as plant sources of omega 3 are not the same as fish sources, not all fish sources are equal either if you want the highest dose of omega-3 benefits and effects.

That’s because some fish are naturally higher in DHA and EPA than others, especially fish that live in cold, deep Ocean waters, and these are the types of fish species you should be taking in supplements to get your recommended omega-3 amount daily.

You should not get your omega 3’s from eating too much fish itself because most fish harbor pollutants they pick up from Ocean waters…dangerous stuff like PCB’s, mercury, and more. This is why the FDA advocates a limited consumption of fish.

Fish oil supplements that have undergone molecular distillation have had all of these nasty impurities removed, leaving only the health promoting omega 3 fatty acids which are then encapsulated in softgels for easy use.

In summary, to get your recommended omega-3 amount daily of about 1,000 mg, look for a purified, molecularly distilled fish oil supplement made from a species of fish naturally high in DHA and EPA omega 3 fatty acids.

Dollar for dollar, it’s probably the best thing you can do for overall health improvement.