There are two common forms of omega three fish oils: ethyl ester omega-3 and triglyceride omega-3. Despite many marketing claims, researchers find the two to be relatively equivalent in their health benefit.
Omega 3 supplement is important for dry eye management and is something I always place my LASIK and PRK patients on both before and after surgery. I find that oral intake of omega 3, typically in the form of gel caps, improves tear quality and improves tissue healing after laser eye surgery. Recovery times and visual stabilization are, in my opinion, faster if patients take omega 3.
There are two forms of omega three supplements: long chain omega three found in fish oil (DHA and EPA) and short chain omega three found in flax seed oil (ALA). Of these, the fish oil form probably is most important, although taking both fish oil and flax seed oil is optimal.
There has been a great deal of marketing regarding “better” and “more absorbable” forms of fish oil. In fact, it is easy to spend a great deal of money on expensive omega 3 fish oils that may not, in fact, be any better than more affordable versions. Much of this marketing revolves around claims that the ethyl ester form of fish oil is better absorbed and better for health than the triglyceride form of omega 3. In fact, they are quite similar to each other.
It turns out that the triglyceride form of fish oil is the naturally occurring form found in fish. “Pharmaceutical grade” fish oil, however, typically is made of the ethyl ester form since the ethyl ester form can be more highly concentrated. Triglyceride fish oil is concentrated into ethyl ester fish oil by a process known as molecular distillation. While the name “pharmaceutical grade” implies that the ethyl ester fish oil is somehow superior, this is not necessarily the case.
It turns out that triglyceride omega 3 actually is more readily absorbed on an empty stomach than ethyl ester fish oil. However, if either form of fish oil is taken with food — particularly with oily food –the absorption is almost identical. Triglyceride fish oil tastes somewhat better in most people’s opinion, and it also is slightly more resistant to becoming rancid. In fact, ethyl ester fish oil needs vitamin E to retard spoilage.
In terms of objective affect on the body, there is a measurement of the amount of biologically absorbed omega 3 stored in red blood cells called the “omega-3 index.” The higher the omega-3 index, the greater the health benefit to the body. A recent study compared people taking 1700 mg per day of omega 3 — half of the people took the triglyceride form and half took the ethyl ester form. In both groups, the omega 3 index went up significantly and quickly. There was minimal difference between the two groups — only a 15% difference in the omega-3 index by six months.
In the end, there really isn’t a huge difference between triglyceride omega 3 and ethyl ester omega 3. Both work quite well and both, in my experience, can improve healing for both LASIK and PRK.
See Also
A Review of Omega-3 Ethyl Esters for Cardiovascular Prevention and Treatment of Increased Blood Triglycerides
A study of one of they many health benefits of omega-e fatty acids.
Omega-3-acid Ethyl Esters
A review of the ethyl ester form of omega 3 fatty acids, an essential fatty acid.
Fish Oil
A review from the National Institutes of Health of the health benefits of fish oil.
Human Absorption of Fish Oil Fatty Acids as Triglycerides, Free Acids, or Ethyl Esters
A study of the relative absorption characteristics of various forms of fish oil omega 3 fatty acids.
Omega-3: Ethyl Ester vs. Triglyceride
Primary Care Optometry News blog discussing relative merits of ethyl ester omega 3 compared to triglyceride omega 3.
Eye Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids
All About Vision discussion of the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids to eye heatlh.