Can someone with a fish allergy take fish-oil supplements?
Someone with a fish allergy could have an allergic reaction to fish-oil supplements. It is the protein in the food that triggers an allergic reaction and some fish protein could be present in the supplements, depending on how highly processed and pure they are. So, whether someone with a fish allergy would react to fish-oil supplements depends on how sensitive they are to the proteins in fish and how much protein is in the supplement. Different people react to different levels of protein and if someone is very sensitive they could react to tiny quantities of protein in a supplement. Swallowing fish-oil capsules whole would not necessarily prevent a reaction, because allergic reactions often occur in the gut, not just in the mouth or stomach. If you have any reason to think that you might have a problem with taking fish-oil supplements, you should talk to your GP. He or she might refer you to an allergy specialist. Some people take fish-oil capsules because of the long-chain omega 3 fat
