I have had several surgeries on one of my shoulders and have had constant pain since. I started taking fish oil and got a ton of relief from it. Unfortunately, within a month or so my Crohn's flared. I stopped taking it and my flare settled. Tried it again with the same result. I tried switching to flax, borage, and hemp oil all with the same result. I have typically had problems with canola, soybean, and olive oil.
Just curious if anyone has these issues too...
It all depends on what kind of oil you are taking and in what quantities. Not only that, often flaxseed oils can go rancid easier then fish-derived ones.
Omega-3 fats have shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect, so its unusual that it would cause a flare unless perhaps it was rancid. Another possibility is that there were additives including sorbitol or other binders that didnt agree with you.
In addition, you need to make sure your omega fatty acid supplement has the correct ratio. The current research suggests that you need a much higher ratio of omega-3 to omega-6. I have seen supplements before that claim the opposite and I think this can be quite dangerous and isnt backed by evidence. The typical american diet gets WAY too much omega-6 generally.
You might want to consider krill oil. Supposedly, krill oil is better absorbed by the body due to its 'phospholipid' structure. This enables you to take less oil overall, but with the same benefit as a larger capsule.
If you haven't already, also consider getting a fish oil that has an enteric coating. This protects it from your intestines for a while, and is like a time release. This also cuts down on any fish burps.
I know NOW Foods makes a 1000mg enteric coated krill oil, and there are several 500mg preperations on the market (albiet not enteric coated but not necessarily at a disadvantage). Products advertised like the popular "MegaRed" have sorbitol and that has been shown to be irritating in IBD.
Personally, I take 500-1000mg of krill oil per day of "Source Naturals Neptune Krill Oil". Its quite important you go with a quality brand so that you know what you are getting isnt rancid and contains the claimed ingredients. Source Naturals was tested and approved by consumerlab.com for claimed ingredients, contaminants, and rancidity.
Omega fatty acid supplements have a large variety and some are better then others. Dont just look at the overall pill size, or "triple strength". You gotta actually look at the label and see what the actual ratio of omega-3 oils are in that product. If it contains more omega-6 then omega-3, then move onto the next one.
In addition, you should remember that Crohn's does naturally flare up and go into remission, and whatever you are taking at the time of either of these events is probably going to get credit for it, even if it has nothing to do with it. Were you also brushing your teeth with a new toothpaste? Didnt you also get a haircut a week before? I hope you see where im going with this. Dont always necessarily assume its anything you were taking that made it worse or better. Omega-3s generally have few if any side effects so its unlikely to cause a flare unless there were unusual ingredients.
