Recommended daily dose for Omega-3 may be on the way

A new analysis could lead to heated debate among heart doctors over whether omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids deserves its own recommended daily intake levels. Fish oil - a centuries-old pharmacy shelf fixture - has recently been the subject of much research to determine its heart-protecting properties. Now, some cardiologists say it is time for omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to join others nutrients for which a daily recommended intake has been established. Dr. Carl Lavie, medical director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention at the Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute in New Orleans, is one such cardiologist. He says that healthy people should consume at least 500 mg per day of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in order to meet their daily needs for the nutrient. Lavie and his colleagues made the recommendations in a paper released Monday in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology