Are we over supplementing with omega-3

I found the following article very disturbing [chriskresser.com]

Josiah

Thank you, Josiah. I'm reminded of Ron Rosedale, MD's explanation at the Designs for Health Institute's BoulderFest Seminar, August 1999 [www.afibbers.org] (scroll down about 2/3):

You can increase insulin sensitivity by diet, that is one of the major reasons you want to take Omega 3 oils. We think of circulation as that which flows through arteries and veins, and that is not a minor part of our circulation, but it might not even be the major part. The major part of circulation is what goes in and out of the cell. The cell membrane is a fluid mosaic. The major part of our circulation is determined by what goes in and out of the cell. It doesn't make any difference what gets to that cell if it can't get into the cell. We know that one of the major ways that you can affect cellular circulation is by modulating the kinds of fatty acids that you eat. So you can increase receptor sensitivity by increasing the fluidity of the cell membrane, which means increasing the omega 3 fat content, because most people are very deficient. They say that you are what you eat, and that mostly pertains to fat, because the fatty acids that you eat are the ones that will generally get incorporated into the cell membrane. The cell membranes are going to be a reflection of your dietary fat, and that will determine the fluidity of your cell membranes. You can actually make them overly fluid. If you eat too much and you incorporate too many omega 3 oils, then they will become highly oxidizable (so you have to eat Vitamin E as well and monounsaturates as well). There was an interesting article pertaining to this where they had a breed of rat that was genetically susceptible to cancer. What they did was, they fed them a high omega 3 diet, plus iron, without any extra Vitamin E, and they were able to almost shrink down the tumors to nothing, because tumors are rapidly dividing cells. This is like a form of chemotherapy, and the membranes that were being formed in these tumor cells were very high in omega three oils, and the iron acted as a catalyst for that oxidation, and the cells were exploding from getting oxidized so rapidly. So omega 3 oils can be a double edged sword. Most food is a double edged sword: like oxygen and glucose, they keep us alive and they kill us; eating is the biggest stress we put on our body, and that is why in caloric restriction experiments you can extend life as long as you maintain nutrition. This is the only proven way of actually reducing the rate of aging -- not just the mortality rate, but the actual rate of aging, because eating is a big stress.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/26/2012 12:32AM by Erling.

Erling, that's a priceless clip from Dr. Rosedale.

My experience with using 4 - 6 grams daily of high quality Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids for almost 12 years (as directed by my Family Practice MD who is certified in Functional Medicine) has been nothing but positive. I'm 76 and have no major ailments and use no Rx drugs. For 20 years or more, I have been deeply immersed in the science behind nutritional treatments as both remedies and prevention and I am continually rewarded by the results. Of course, I do use the appropriate antioxidants to prevent the oxidation of tissue.

If I had ever come across anything that indicated level of my Omega 3's dosing was detrimental, I would surely be aware that I need to adjust my intake. Every week, I listen to at least 5 hours of recorded teleconferences on health and nutrition which offer the latest thinking from all areas in Functional Medicine and I've not been alerted to any science (or rumor) that indicates Omega 3's as supplements or from oily fish such as wild salmon is harmful. Emphasis, though, is important on the quality of the n3's because of contamination risk as well as refining procedures that could damage the oils. Choose reliable brands and enjoy healthy membrane fluidity. The DHA portion keeps our brains young as well.

Jackie

Jackie,

What precisely constitutes the "appropriate antioxidants to prevent the oxidation of tissue" in your current regimen?

Josiah