If you have only 15 seconds per day to improve your health, guzzle as much omega 3 fatty acids as you can in those 15 seconds. Dr. Barry Sears
According to the latest research, 91% of Americans are deficient in Omega 3’s. The stunning deficiency of Omega 3’s in our population is a huge factor in the current health care dilemma that we face in our country. I can tell you the one word that had the most impact of all others, CORN.
Eighty years ago, there was no such thing as free-range anything. This is because every farm item was a free-range product. The cows went out to pasture, ate tons of grass, (a good source of omega 3’s) and they were slaughtered and eaten. Sometime about 1935, the government started to subsidize the production of corn. The farmer’s production went from 2 billion bushels in 1935 to over 10 billion bushels in 2005. With this huge corn production, the farmers started feeding it to their livestock, fish farms as well.
The problem is that corn oil is an omega 6 oil, which is highly inflammatory which then replaced the anti-inflammatory grass sourced, omega 3’s. So a piece of beef produced eating grass has an omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of about 4 to 1. In comparison, a piece of beef-eating corn has a ratio as high as 40-1. We have all suffered from this issue.
Deficiency in omega 3’s has been linked to heart disease, brain dysfunction, hormone imbalance, weak bones, poor skin, and overall inflammation which is tied to many diseases including cancer and arthritis.
There is a quick and easy finger-prick blood test to see if you are deficient. The Holman Omega 3 test could be the most important test you can take in your life.
Taking omega 3’s is one of the easiest and fastest ways to get your body working better. Come on back for the future chapters to the omega 3 story.
Feb 09, 2014 at 11:25 PM
Hi Dr. Chris - thanks for this post; I look forward to future posts as I have been reading up on the benefits of fermented cod liver oil (FCLO) vs. fish oil (I share some links below, if interested) as it seems the way fish oil is produced/processed/fermented damages it (vs. the cold processing of cod liver oil). (Sidebar - some of my readings might be biased as I am following the paleo diet so many of my readings have been from that point of view). Plus, FCLO seems to offer additional Vitamins A, D, E and K2 (and we know how important Vitamin D is!!) in addition to some Omega 3 benefits. Curious on your thoughts when you have a moment? http://balancedbites.com/2013/02/faqs-all-about-fermented-cod-liver-oil-and-why-i-dont-take-fish-oil.html http://www.westonaprice.org/cod-liver-oil/response-to-dr-mercola-on-cod-liver-oil http://chriskresser.com/when-it-comes-to-fish-oil-more-is-not-better
Feb 10, 2014 at 3:05 PM
Hello KB, You are correct, if the product in not produced correctly or stored correctly, it can spoil and be damaged. I would strongly recommend you checking any product that you are considering on the IFOS website. IFOS is the international fish oil testing service. It is run by the University of Ontario and is where the top company's send in sample of each batch of oil to be tested for spoilage and toxin such as mercury, arsnic, PCB's and dioxin. The bottom line is you take the fish oil for the benefits listed above, the other stuff you can get from other supplements. My first priority in a fish oil supplement is potency. How much omega 3's are you getting in each capsule? My standard rule of thumb is at least 50% of the product should be DHA and EPA. Most people need somewhere around 3 grams per day to achieve high levels of inflammation reduction. If your supplement is not concentrated, you are taking a whole bunch of capsules. You must also take antioxidants and vitamin B complex and vitamin C to get the most out of the Omega 3's you are taking. CJQ, DC
Apr 30, 2014 at 7:51 PM
Hi! Yes, Omega 3 is very powerful. Shortly my story. About a year ago I started taking a new 100% natural Omega 3 product from a North-European producer (they promise a ratio of 3:1 or lower) because I have psoriatic arthritis and five years ago it really flared up in my joints so I couldn't exercise anymore and two years ago patches started appearing on my skin and under nails. I measure Omega 3 effect and Omega 6:3 ratio due to its importance. I use a blood test from leading laboratories. This is a simple dry blood-spot test for home sample collection. Leading laboratories analyze the sample to determine your fatty acid profile as a reflection of your diet. It takes less than a minute to complete, and you can access your results online anonymously after about 20 days. The balance test identifies levels of 11 fatty acids in the blood with 98% certainty. You will learn your blood levels of omega-3 and your ratio of omega 6:3 for balance, plus receive a report to increase your health and dietary awareness. Test results will show whether your diet is balanced or unbalanced. Continue using the balance products and, adjust your diet as recommended based upon your balance test report. For example my first test ratio was 8,4:1, second after four months 3,4:1 and third a year later 1,6:1. By the way, if you hold a ratio of 3:1 or lower then all life style diseases (skin, joints, asthma, allergies, diabetes 2, high blood pressure, thyroid, osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases, weight-loss, alzheimer`s and so on) will start disappearing. For example my brother-in-law has completely gotten rid of his asthma of thirty years and allergies (peanut, cucumber, apple, grass ...) through the same natural product, which he's been taking for a year now.