More exciting news continues to add to the value of eating and taking in Omega-3 fats.
Today we showcase some great research demonstrating:
- Omega 3 can help athletes of all ages.
- High Omega-3 levels are associated with lower levels of ischemic stroke without increasing the risk of bleeding.
- Omega-3 helps decrease the risk of post-Covid mental health conditions.
- Omega 3 fish oil and a low Omega 6 diet reduce proliferation of low-grade Prostate Cancer
Athletes and Omega-3
Omega-3 deficiency can impact the immune system, inflammation, recovery, and sleep, all of which are vital elements in the overall health and performance of athletes and sportspeople.
The International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) has presented a position stand on Omega -3 fats to provide a scientific foundation for athletes, dietitians, trainers, practitioners, and families.
A summary of their statement on supplemental Omega-3 in healthy and athletic populations :
- Athletes may have a higher risk of Omega-3 insufficiency.
- Diets and supplements can both be effective in increasing Omega-3 levels.
- DHA and EPA in particular may enhance endurance and cardiovascular function during aerobic exercise.
- Omega-3 supplementation may not enhance hypertrophy in young adults.
- Resistance training in combination with Omega-3 may improve strength in a dose and duration dependent manner.
- Omega-3 supplements may decrease muscle soreness after intense exercise.
- Omega-3 supplementation can positively affect immune response in athletic populations.
- Prophylactic Omega-3 supplements may offer neuroprotection for athletes exposed to head injuries.
- Omega-3 supplementation is associated with improved sleep.
- Omega-3 fats are associated as prebiotics, but studies on the gut microbiome and health in athletes are lacking although early studies indicated that Omega-3 supplements may benefit the gut.
My comment:
High doses are needed, dosage ranges varied from 1800 mg to over 4000 mg of EPA and DHA. Athletes of all ages benefit- from the young teen to we older Corporate Athletes-no home should be without high quality fatty fish and fish oil.
Higher Omega-3 levels linked to decreased stroke risk
Higher omega-3 PUFA levels are associated with lower risks of total and ischemic stroke but have no association with hemorrhagic stroke.
My comments:
We routinely measure the Omega-3 index and do Carotid Intima-Media Thickness (CIMT) testing because levels of Omega-3 affect the risk of arterial disease, and the carotid arteries in particular reflect the health of the artery wall and stroke risk.
The research article above referenced many studies. One demonstrated that fish oil providing 1.4 gm EPA and DHA before carotid surgery, “had a lower prevalence of vulnerable fibrous caps, an increased thickness of fibrous caps, and reduced signs of inflammation within the carotid plaques.” The authors concluded, “Atherosclerotic plaques readily incorporate omega-3s from fish-oil supplementation, inducing changes that can enhance stability of atherosclerotic plaques.”
The challenge that remains for most patients is that it is not easy to get the Omega-3 index up to the most ideal and protective level and most fall very short. The authors demonstrate what we should be aiming for:
The typical US adult eats <1 serving per week of fish/seafood; accordingly, the average intake of EPA+DHA in the United States is only about 100 mg/day with a mean omega-3 index of 5.4%. The median RBC EPA+DHA (ie, the omega-3 index) for Q5 in the present study was ≈8%, suggesting that reaching an omega-3 index of 8% or greater could be a cardioprotective goal—originally proposed in 2004.
To raise an omega-3 index of 5.4% to 8% would require an intake of ≈1000 mg/day of EPA+DHA, whereas to go from the median of Q1 (about 3.5% omega-3 index) to 8% would require about 1600 mg/day of EPA+DHA. These intakes are achievable from dietary fish/seafood and omega-3 supplements.
Omega-3s are associated with fewer post-COVID-19 mental health conditions
- Omega-3 PUFA supplementation is associated with a reduced risk of long-term psychiatric sequelae, including depression, anxiety, and insomnia, following SARS-CoV-2 infection.
- The beneficial effects of omega-3 PUFAs were consistent across different demographic groups.
- These findings suggest the potential of omega-3 PUFAs as a preventive strategy for post-COVID-19 mental health outcomes, warranting further investigation through placebo-controlled clinical trials.
My comments:
Post-Covid and Post-Vax mental health challenges are real and should not be minimized and discredited. The amounts needed again were on the higher side but manageable.
Omega-3 Fish oil and low Omega-6 diet reduces Prostate Cancer proliferation
Purpose: “Men on active surveillance (AS) for prostate cancer are extremely interested in dietary changes or supplements to prevent progression of their disease. We sought to determine whether a high omega-3, low omega-6 fatty acid diet with fish oil capsules (D + FO) decreases proliferation (Ki-67) in prostate biopsies in men with prostate cancer on AS over a 1-year time period.”
Methods: “In this phase II, prospective randomized trial, men (N = 100) with grade group 1 or 2 prostate cancer who elected AS were randomly assigned to the D + FO or a control group. Same-site prostate biopsies were obtained at baseline and 1 year. The primary end point was the change in Ki-67 index from baseline to 1 year from same-site biopsies compared between the groups.”
[The Ki-67 index is used to measure the aggressiveness of cancer based on analysis of biopsy specimens. The higher the index, the greater the likelihood a cancer will grow rapidly and metastasize]
Conclusion: “A high omega-3, low omega-6 diet with FO for 1 year resulted in a significant reduction in Ki-67 index, a biomarker for prostate cancer progression, metastasis, and death.”
Dr. Ronald Hoffman a well-thought-of practitioner of Integrative Internal Medicine has written some excellent analysis on this article and the role of fish oil and a low Omega-6 diet in helping men with prostate cancer.
Dr. Hoffman’s important thoughts:
This notwithstanding the recognition that a considerable percentage of men over the age of 70 harbor small, slow-growing foci of prostate cancer—the kind that the body’s natural cancer surveillance could keep in check for decades, long after a man might succumb to other age-related threats to longevity.
It was only in the 90s that studies confirmed the safety and practicality of “watchful waiting”, soon redubbed “active surveillance”. By means of better analysis of biopsy specimens for aggressiveness of tumors, and via deployment of sequential PSAs for monitoring, some patients could be selected for conservative treatment with active surveillance.
It’s counterintuitive for a doctor to proclaim: “You have cancer. Don’t just stand there, do nothing!” It took a while, but waiting has now become the preferred treatment for low-grade, localized prostate cancer. It can be a little nerve-wracking for patients, who have been conditioned to believe that once you have cancer, it should be rooted out. Especially men, who are action-oriented. Even our vocabulary needs to change; there’s our “War Against Cancer”, we “fight cancer”, and sometimes succumb after “a courageous battle against cancer”.
In the 90s, through the collaboration of Aaron Katz MD and Geo Espinoza ND, then at Columbia Physicians and Surgeons urology department, the concept was refined to “active holistic surveillance” under the premise that diet and lifestyle could influence outcomes, and reduce the likelihood that men undergoing monitoring would require medical or surgical interventions.
A 2016 study confirmed the feasibility of active holistic surveillance for delaying the progression of advanced prostate cancer:
235 men with early-stage localized prostate cancer underwent extensive lifestyle counseling involving diet, exercise, and stress reduction along with “chemopreventive” supplements. 88% of the men stuck with the regimen for one year and there were no prostate cancer deaths; 99.6% of them survived, which was remarkable for a group of men as old as 88, suggesting ancillary benefits of the program for all major causes of death.
Now comes the CAPFISH-3 Study, which seems to further validate the “holistic” component of active surveillance. The intervention chosen was to alter the Omega 3:6 ratio of dietary precursors by supplementing with fish oil, while reducing sources of Omega-6 fats.
There’s biological plausibility to the notion that omega-3s might prevent cancer via their anti-inflammatory benefits. They’re also said to be pro-apoptotic, meaning they can encourage “immortal” cancer cells to self-destruct.
So, the altered ratio may not be a cause of cancer per se, but rather simply indicative of an overall poor diet which predisposes to cancer.
While seed oils are currently in the crosshairs, it remains controversial whether Omega-6 fats, per se, are cancer-promoting, or if it’s their ubiquity in ultra-processed foods that makes their reduction beneficial. Sources of Omega-6 fats include fried and fast foods, baked goods, candy and confections, dressings and condiments, and meat and dairy substitutes.
It’s likely that other components of active holistic surveillance like weight optimization, exercise, adequate sleep, refined carbohydrate reduction, microbiome interventions, avoidance of xenoestrogens, and chemo-prevention via vitamins like D, and nutraceuticals like melatonin, curcumin, lycopene, green tea, etc. will be shown to contribute to the success of conservative management of low-grade prostate cancer.
My comments:
The study treated the men with 2.2 grams (2200mg) of EPA and DHA daily and aimed for an Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio of 3:1 which is more in line with our Paleolithic heritage and what the post-World War 2 levels were in Greece and Japan.
Active holistic surveillance of low-grade prostate cancer is a well-studied and important concept that goes beyond just a watch-and-wait approach. Do not be led to the complacency of the health care system which would have you believe low-grade prostate cancer – like Covid – should be treated by just watching and waiting. One of the most important and early researchers and practitioners in this space is our good friend and colleague Geo Espinoza ND referenced in Dr. Hoffman’s comments.
All of these important articles demonstrated that higher than typical levels of Omega 3 indexes and amounts of fish oil are needed. We must eat more fatty fish and/or take appropriate levels of high-strength and good-quality fish oil- the low-dose Costco and CVS brands will not cut it.
Here is a Fullscript link to our favorite Omega-3 brands that we use
