Is it okay to break up fish oil pills if you have trouble swallowing?

Is it okay to break up fish oil pills if you have trouble swallowing?

Is it okay to break up fish oil pills? Some people have trouble swallowing pills and capsules. They can have problems with almost any pill or capsule.

Here’s the answer with some tips on what you need to know about fish oil and breaking capsules and pills.

Why crushing a fish oil pill is harmless

The fish oil is in a soft shell of gelatin. The gelatin is there to hold the butter; otherwise you don’t need it. So it’s perfectly fine to open it and pour the oil over food or anything that makes it easier to swallow. You can discard the gelatin.

This is very helpful for a person who has trouble swallowing pills.

This is also great for small children. Fish oil is the best source of omega 3 fatty acids. These essential fatty acids are very important for the healthy development of babies and children. The brain is made up of more than 60 percent fat, and the most important fat is DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which is found in rich amounts in fish such as mackerel, anchovy, tuna, salmon, and several others.

So it’s simple and easy to break up the gelatin and pour the precious omega 3 oil into juice or formula, or mix it into a child’s food.

Why this might be a bad idea for other supplements

The fish oil pill is NOT actually a pill, it’s a capsule — a soft shell that holds the oil. A pill (or tablet) is actually a hard thing, like aspirin, for example. For most pills, it’s okay to split them into two parts (or even more than two).

If that makes the pill easy to swallow — or you just want to take half a dose — it might work well.

When is it NOT good?

Well, there are some great supplements that come in enteric-coated pills. Enteric-coated pills or tablets are made this way for an important reason. The enteric coating protects the pill from breaking down in stomach acids.

Why?

Because there are some important nutrients that are destroyed or damaged by stomach acids. Carnosine is one example of a valuable nutrient that is severely damaged by stomach acid. For this reason, any enteric-coated pill should not be opened.

But it’s okay to break open a fish oil pill.

You’re getting your essential omega 3s and that’s a great thing for your health.

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