Fish Oil

Dr. Greger on fish oil.

[nutritionfacts.org]

It's certainly true that some fish oils can have contaminants which obviously can cause many health problems.

However, there are many significant health benefits from Omega 3’s and I would not want to be without it. Because I'm on Eliquis, I had to cut back on my daily doses and I am concerned that I'll not have the protection I've enjoyed for many previous years.

Because of the purity issue, the best supplements are those that are molecularly distilled and filtered from wild caught fish oil and the end product is tested to be sure of the purity and quality to avoid heavy metal contamination. Fish oils in the natural triglyceride form more closely mimic that found in nature, is more bioavailable and is what the body prefers since these forms are utilized more quickly and efficiently in the body. Products typically need to be kept cold and if there is a ‘fishy’ smell when opened, then the product has oxidized and should not be used.

There are many hundreds of studies supporting the benefits of fish oil either as from fish as food that is not fried or supplements.

If your diet contains an abundance of Omega 3 fatty acids from wild-caught fish harvested from uncontaminated water, then supplements may not be needed, but most people definitely need to add a high-quality brand of Omega 3’s on a daily basis. Aside from the oil in general, the amount of EPA and DHA content for health maintenance or a health ailment is also important.

One benefit of Omega 3’s for afibbers is the reduction of inflammation as measured by C-reactive protein levels.. (CRP)


An inverse relationship between plasma n-3 fatty acids and C-reactive protein in healthy individuals.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2009 Sep;63(9):1154-6. Epub 2009 Apr 8. PMID: 19352379 [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
M A Micallef, I A Munro, M L Garg
Nutraceuticals Research Group, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, Australia.

Abstract:
High sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is a marker of low-grade sustained inflammation. Omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with reduced cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. The aim of this study was to investigate whether plasma n-3 fatty acid concentration is related to hs-CRP concentration. A total of 124 free-living adults, were divided into tertiles of plasma hs-CRP (<1.0, 1.0-3.0 and>3.0 mg/l). Body composition and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Hs-CRP was analysed using immunoassays and fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography. Plasma hs-CRP concentration was negatively correlated with total n-3 fatty acids (P=0.05), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; P=0.002) and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; P=0.01). The highest hs-CRP tertile (>3.0 mg/l) had significantly lower concentrations of total n-3 fatty acids, EPA and DPA, when compared with the other tertiles (P<0.05). This study provides evidence that in healthy individuals, plasma n-3 fatty acid concentration is inversely related to hs-CRP concentration, a surrogate marker of CVD risk.

Article Published Date : Sep 01, 2009
Study Type : Human Study

Jackie

I endeavor to consume 1g/day of DHA. My doc, Steven Gundry, tests us on a raft of markers (24 pages of metrics from 4 different labs). He insists we keep our omega 3 index >10. He has a long clinical record of keeping people well. Here is his track record on CVD:

<[atvb.ahajournals.org]
"Results: Pts have been followed for 1.5 to 12 years (mean 9 yrs). While enrolled, 13/978 pts (1.3%) have received a new stent, two that were predicted by a rising Lp-PLA2, two required CABG, based on a rising Corus score, despite HDL’s of 110-120 mg/dl. There have been no MI’s, unstable angina. One pt underwent carotid endarterectomy ; one pt suffered a CVA and died, while in atrial fibrillation, A second pt expired from a ruptured cerebral berry aneurysm. Total CV events over 12 years is 16/978 (1.6%)."

I trust my labs & his track record.

George:

Do you eat any fish? Salmon, sardines, halibut are good sources of vit. D.

Liz

Liz,

I eat fish and shellfish.

My serum 25OHD (vitamin D) levels run between 100-120 ng/mL (250-300 nmol/L) - per Gundry. Despite being fair skinned, I no longer burn (this happened once my levels became greater than 80 ng/mL a number of years ago), nor do I wear sunscreen or sunglasses (despite living at 5,600' and routinely playing outside at up to 13,000' - I do wear ski goggles). Sunday, I was rock climbing at 7,000' all day in only shorts, no shoes. In fact my unaided vision improved from 20:200 in Oct 2016 to 20:80 in Feb 2018. My eye doc says she loves my vision improvement and that i'm her only patient who follows her advice to be outside multiple times/day without glasses or sunglasses on.. My dermatologist can't believe how good my skin looks.

George

Hi George,
Is your vision improvement due to DHA/EPA consumption or high levels of D3, or not wearing sun glasses and being outside a lot and barefoot?

I don't wear sun glasses either, my D3 is about 90 but i still burn in the sun (fairly light skinned). My vision has been static for the last 10 years, i'm 68 now.
Cheers

Quote
Joe
Hi George,
Is your vision improvement due to DHA/EPA consumption or high levels of D3, or not wearing sun glasses and being outside a lot and barefoot?

I don't wear sun glasses either, my D3 is about 90 but i still burn in the sun (fairly light skinned). My vision has been static for the last 10 years, i'm 68 now.
Cheers

Hi Joe,

If I had to guess, I'd say the time I spend outside without glasses as I've had high DHA as well as D3 for quite a while prior to the vision improvement.

My eye doc says I'm exercising my iris as well as other muscles.

George

Thanks George!

I didn't cut back on fish oil when starting eliquis? Is that standard procedure?