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Apparently I’m sensitive to both flax oil and fish oil. This just doesn’t make any sense, because the omega 3 oils are supposed to be anti-inflammatory. However, I’ve done this test twice now with the same results, so have to accept it.
To go back to my initial flare, last May I developed severe D, and had a colonoscopy in June where I was diagnosed with LC. When I mentioned to the GI doc my severe D, he asked if I was taking fish oil, and said that it could cause D. Well, we know that fish oil doesn’t cause the secretary D of MC, but at the time I didn’t know that. So I stopped all of my supplements, and my D went away! However, after coming to the Forum, I got tested for gluten sensitivity by Enterolab, and was positive. Later testing showed that I’m also sensitive to soy and yeast.
After eliminating these items from my diet for 4 months, I decided to try adding back the fish and flax oil. I made sure to get oils that stated they were gluten, diary, soy, sugar, yeast, corn and additive free. To test, I started out with 1 1000 mg (1 gram) flax oil pill once a day for 2 days. By the next day I started having looser BMs and by the next day, I had several D episodes. It took me a few days of being off the pills to recover. After several weeks, I tried the same thing with fish oil, with the same results, except that the fish oil was a bit worse. Also, I must say that I have generally avoided eating salmon and tuna because they seemed to upset my system, and now I know why! When I had my original flare last May, I was taking both fish and flax seed oil capsules twice a day, so I can imagine that 4 times the amount I was taking for my test would cause the severe D. It doesn’t seem to be a general sensitivity to fats, as I can eat many types of fatty foods without problem (except for fatty fish like salmon and tuna). For example, the yummy Theo Chocolate I eat on an almost daily basis has 17 g of fat in the bar, compared to the 1 g of fat in the flax and fish oil capsules, and I have no problems with that (thank goodness).
I wanted to try out the fish and flax oil again because I have dry eyes, and the oils really seemed to help in the past. Oh well……..I’d rather have dry eyes than D!
So I guess that this is just one of those individual things that we run into. I’m posting this just in case someone else reading this might suspect that it’s a problem for them too.
Sensitivity to Fish and Flax Seed Oil
Moderators: Rosie, Stanz, Jean, CAMary, moremuscle, JFR, Dee, xet, Peggy, Matthew, Gabes-Apg, grannyh, Gloria, Mars, starfire, Polly, Joefnh
Sensitivity to Fish and Flax Seed Oil
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time………Thomas Edison
Hi Rosie,
I know fish is a common allergen.....don't know how commonly it results in a intolerance. I guess just about anything can be an intolerance for someone.
Re your dry eyes.....do you also have dry mouth? Have you checked out Sjogren's syndrome? It's another autoimmune disease. Some with MC here in the past have also had Sjogren's.
Love,
Polly
I know fish is a common allergen.....don't know how commonly it results in a intolerance. I guess just about anything can be an intolerance for someone.
Re your dry eyes.....do you also have dry mouth? Have you checked out Sjogren's syndrome? It's another autoimmune disease. Some with MC here in the past have also had Sjogren's.
Love,
Polly
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves, for they shall never cease to be amused.
Polly, over the years I have sometimes wondered if I had Sjogren's, but I don't think so. I don't have a dry mouth or other symptoms. It started in my mid-40's, and I suspect it's related to hormones and menopause. It's actually improved as I've gotten older and my body's hormones have stabilized. Every so often it gets worse. The fish and flaxseed oils seemed to help a fair amount, so I'm not happy to give them up.
Rosie
Rosie
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time………Thomas Edison
Maybe a little olive oil would have the same effect, (on your eyes). (Of course, it could also have the same effect on the D). 
I assume you realize that it's theoretically impossible to be intolerant of, (or allergic to), an oil - only proteins qualify, and theoretically, oils contain no proteins, (according to the manufacturers). Unfortunately, most of us who are sensitive to a food item, such as corn, or soy, are also sensitive to their respective oils.
So much for theory. 
Tex
I assume you realize that it's theoretically impossible to be intolerant of, (or allergic to), an oil - only proteins qualify, and theoretically, oils contain no proteins, (according to the manufacturers). Unfortunately, most of us who are sensitive to a food item, such as corn, or soy, are also sensitive to their respective oils.
So much for theory. Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex, I wonder just how much contaminating protein there might be. Of course, it would be easy to test, as the analytical tools are available, but someone needs to be interested enough in the answer to spend the time and money. If you look at the labels on vegetable oils bottles, it says 0.0% protein. That means that there could be protein at lower levels. They could say 0.00%, but don't, so I suspect that it may be in that range of a hundreth of a percent. Maybe our bodies can pick up that tiny amount. A "back of the envelope" calculation taken from my bottle of canola oil:
1 tablespoon = 14 g
If you estimate that the amount of protein is 0.05%, then
14g x 0.0005 (0.05%) = 0.007g = 7 mg
I've weighed out tiny amounts like that, and it could amount to several "crumbs", using scientific terminology
Rosie
1 tablespoon = 14 g
If you estimate that the amount of protein is 0.05%, then
14g x 0.0005 (0.05%) = 0.007g = 7 mg
I've weighed out tiny amounts like that, and it could amount to several "crumbs", using scientific terminology
Rosie
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time………Thomas Edison
Another thought about the flax seed oil and fish oil. The flax seed oil is cold pressed and very unstable, so there is minimal processing. I would expect there to be more protein in it than commercial canola or soy oil. And the same with fish oil.
Rosie
Rosie
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time………Thomas Edison
FWIW
I stopped taking any flax or fish oil supplements quite a while ago, mostly as a precaution. Flax seed is a known laxative and I certainly don't need any help there.
I've been mulling over the fish oil supplement, but have been afraid to try it again. The only fish I eat is tuna and I don't notice any problems with it.
Hopefully others will share their experiences.
Gloria
I stopped taking any flax or fish oil supplements quite a while ago, mostly as a precaution. Flax seed is a known laxative and I certainly don't need any help there.
I've been mulling over the fish oil supplement, but have been afraid to try it again. The only fish I eat is tuna and I don't notice any problems with it.
Hopefully others will share their experiences.
Gloria
You never know what you can do until you have to do it.
Rosie,
Another way to look at it, is the fact that 1 one part per hundred, is 10,000 parts per million, (ppm). The Codex Alimentarius standard for gluten-free labeling, (used in most of the world), allows 20 ppm of gluten content in a product, as a maximum limit.
Dr. Fasano, and his group at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, proved, a few years ago, that the old Codex standard of 200 ppm was way too high, because many people showed damage to the villi of the small intestine, at gluten levels above 50 ppm, so the 20 ppm limit was suggested, and adopted, (even though it is true that a few celiacs show damage below that threshold).
Anyway, looking at it from this perspective, a protein content of 0.01%, would be 500 times the allowable limit for gluten, which is 0.00002%, written as a percentage. That is almost surely the reason why we react to those oils, since virtually all people who are gluten-sensitive, will react to gluten, at that level, (10,000 ppm).
Tex
P. S. FWIW, I take one 1,000 mg capsule of fish oil, and one the same size, of flaxseed oil, each morning, with, or immediateiy after breakfast.
Another way to look at it, is the fact that 1 one part per hundred, is 10,000 parts per million, (ppm). The Codex Alimentarius standard for gluten-free labeling, (used in most of the world), allows 20 ppm of gluten content in a product, as a maximum limit.
Dr. Fasano, and his group at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, proved, a few years ago, that the old Codex standard of 200 ppm was way too high, because many people showed damage to the villi of the small intestine, at gluten levels above 50 ppm, so the 20 ppm limit was suggested, and adopted, (even though it is true that a few celiacs show damage below that threshold).
Anyway, looking at it from this perspective, a protein content of 0.01%, would be 500 times the allowable limit for gluten, which is 0.00002%, written as a percentage. That is almost surely the reason why we react to those oils, since virtually all people who are gluten-sensitive, will react to gluten, at that level, (10,000 ppm).
Tex
P. S. FWIW, I take one 1,000 mg capsule of fish oil, and one the same size, of flaxseed oil, each morning, with, or immediateiy after breakfast.
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
A couple of years ago, I remember reading (I don't remember where at the moment) the people who were sensitive to fish oil and flax oil were having better luck with chia seeds (aka salba). I know I've seen the seeds in the store and I've seen references that chia seeds can be used like flax seeds as egg replacers in baking, but I don't know if there's an oil or supplement capsule out there. By the way, yes, this is the same seed used on the infamous Chia pet.
Karen
Karen
Thanks so much for the info, Karen. I had never heard of chia oil before. I looked it up, and it's supposed to have the highest percentage of omega 3 oils of any plant. I'll bet I can find it in the health food store. It's in the mint family, so hopefully I won't have issues. But with MC, you never know....... If I eat the seeds will my head start sprouting? 
I can't believe the Obama Chia figure that was being sold before Christmas. When I first saw the ad, I thought it was a joke!
Rosie
I can't believe the Obama Chia figure that was being sold before Christmas. When I first saw the ad, I thought it was a joke!
Rosie
Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time………Thomas Edison
Hi Rosie,
You can also hunt for ultra refined, ultra concentrated fish oils. I take ones called "Omega Daily" by a company called Blackmores, but you may find others.
These type of Omega 3 tablets have been reported as being acceptable to folk who have trouble with regular fish oil - probably because there is less fishy contamination. I was put on to them by a friend who was put on to these by her rhuematologist as she found regular fish oil made her nauseous. They are dearer, but you get more active ingredient per capsule.
Vitamin A has also been reported as being good for dry eyes, and lo and behold, fish oil is a good source of vitamin A. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/v ... /vitaminA/
Lyn
You can also hunt for ultra refined, ultra concentrated fish oils. I take ones called "Omega Daily" by a company called Blackmores, but you may find others.
These type of Omega 3 tablets have been reported as being acceptable to folk who have trouble with regular fish oil - probably because there is less fishy contamination. I was put on to them by a friend who was put on to these by her rhuematologist as she found regular fish oil made her nauseous. They are dearer, but you get more active ingredient per capsule.
Vitamin A has also been reported as being good for dry eyes, and lo and behold, fish oil is a good source of vitamin A. http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/v ... /vitaminA/
Lyn