Everything You've Ever Wanted To Know About Fish Oil, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, EPA, DHA & Much More!

https://bengreenfieldfitness.com/fishoilpodcast

After publishing my recent giant fish oil article "A Deep "Dive" Into The Fascinating World Of Fish Oil, The Right Fat Ratios In Your Diet, Plant Vs. Animal Based Oils & The Exact Fish Oil Ben Greenfield Uses Every Day.", I've been getting plenty of questions about fish oil lately, including:

-Based on human clinical research, what are the actual proven benefits of fish oil?

-What kind of dosages/types of fish oil were used in studies?

-Are there concerns about rancidity/oxidation when taking fish oil?

-What kind of amount and EPA/DHA ratio is ideal?

-Are there people who shouldn't take fish oil?

-Are there certain nutrients or supplements that should be taken with fish oil?

-How can one test their omega fatty acid status?

And much more.

So I finally decided to get a couple of true, unbiased fish oil experts on my show.

Dr. William S. Harris is my first guest. He is an internationally recognized expert on omega-3 fatty acids and how they can benefit patients with heart disease. He obtained his Ph.D. in Human Nutrition from the University of Minnesota and did post-doctoral fellowships in Clinical Nutrition and Lipid Metabolism with Dr. Bill Connor at the Oregon Health Sciences University.

His interest in omega-3 fatty acids began with his postdoctoral work when he published his first study on the effects of salmon oil on serum lipids in humans (1980). Since that time he has been the recipient of five NIH grants for studies on the effects of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) on human health. He has more than 300 publications relating to fatty acids, including omega-3s, in medical literature and was an author on two American Heart Association scientific statements on fatty acids: “Fish Consumption, Fish Oil, Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease” (2002), and “Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease” (2009) both published in the journal Circulation. Dr. Harris is a Professor in the Department of Medicine in the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota and the President and CEO of OmegaQuant.

Dr. Harris's daughter, Dr. Kristina Harris Jackson, PhD, RD is my second guest. Kristina received her PhD in Nutritional Sciences from Pennsylvania State University in 2013 and completed her training to become a Registered Dietitian in 2014. As a graduate student, she studied under Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton, an internationally-recognized expert in fats and nutrition. She worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado-Denver under Dr. John Peters in the area of worksite wellness before returning to the omega-3 field. Kristina joined the family business OmegaQuant Analytics as a Research Associate in 2014, with a particular focus on omega-3s in maternal health, helping create the Prenatal DHA test and the Mother’s Milk DHA test. In 2020, she became Assistant Professor (non-tenure) in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. (2020-2022). She lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with her husband, two kids, one old dog, and four grandparents.

During this discussion, you'll discover: -The 2 sources of Omega-3 fatty acids...8:35

1. Plant derived fatty acid ALA, alpha linolenic acid( 18 carbons); an acid in the omega-3 family – not the same thing as the fish derived omega-3
2. Fish derived EPA (20 carbons) and DHA (22 carbons)

• Cannot get much of the good stuff from ALA (seeds and nuts)
• Algal oil from micro algae (single cell organism, not kelp) that make EPA/DHA naturally; at the base of the marine food chain
  • Omega-3 fatty acids are made by plants, not fish
• Some companies grow these algae in big ponds, harvest the omega-3 fatty acids and put in capsules
  • Vegan derived EPA/DHA products has exactly the same molecules as EPA/DHA derived from fish, but does not come from fish, it comes from algae
  • Process is expensive
• Aquaculture industry is driving the demand for algal oil
  • 70~80% of fish oil produced is fed back to the fish