I have written several articles regarding the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids or fish oil over the last couple of years which included inflammation, brain, eyes and cardiovascular. If you were to search the popular research site PubMed and typed in the word fish oil, over 29,000 published studies come up. When you get more specific and add cardiovascular disease, 5000 studies show up.

A recent study came out in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on 3/18/18. It is titled “Associations of Omega-3 Fatty Acid Supplement Use With Cardiovascular Disease Risks
Meta-analysis of 10 Trials Involving 77 917 Individuals”. They concluded the following: This meta-analysis demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids had no significant association with fatal or nonfatal coronary heart disease or any major vascular events. It provides no support for current recommendations for the use of such supplements in people with a history of coronary heart disease.

For many of you that take omega 3’s, this may sound confusing. I was especially disturbed because it is part of the regimen that I recommend for cardiovascular disease. When I saw the headlines of the study, I immediately downloaded the study and began to look at the data and also gather data from functional medicine experts. Here are some of my findings regarding the study.

Here is a quote from the study, “All eligible trials required use of supplements, but no minimum daily dose of EPA or DHA was specified ”. It is going to be tough to get a positive result if the studies they are using have sub-therapeutic doses of omega 3 fatty acids.

Jeffrey Bland PhD cites that only three of the 10 studies used an appropriate amount of DHA and EPA as an 1800mg/daily dose. Bland says that among those three studies, the data actually shows that with the right level of intervention there are benefits.

The study is a meta-analysis, which is a study of studies and includes the data from 10 studies with almost 78,000 subjects. Inclusion data required minimum of 500 participants and a scheduled duration of treatment of at least 1 year. The numbers sound impressive, but these studies are hand picked based on the authors inclusion data.

Lastly, looking at is conflicts of interest listed for the authors; several have received compensation from pharmaceutical companies who have cardiovascular products. JAMA historically publishes pro-pharma and anti-nutrition studies so this also does not surprise me.

We need to focus on the facts regarding omega 3 fatty acids. We know they are anti-inflammatory and offset the inflammatory effects of omega 6 fatty acids, they are vital for cell wall synthesis, they are important for our brain and eyes. That coupled with the hundreds of studies that show benefit of omega 3 fatty acids for cardiovascular disease will continue to make this a recommendation for patients looking to decrease there risk of CV disease.

Fortunately, if you are concerned about the status of your omega 3 fatty acids, testing options are available and they are reasonably priced. The options are the OmegaQuant test and Spectrocells Cardio-Metabolic Profile:

OmegaQuant is a Sioux Falls, SD company and they have 3 levels of testing:

·Omega 3 Index Basic $54.95 – this simply tests your omega 3 status and gives you a recommendation as to how much of an increase in omega 3 you would need to reach the optimal range. The optimal range is an indicator of better overall health.

·Omega 3 Index Plus $79.95 – this will test Your Omega-3 Index,Trans Fat

Index, Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio, AA:EPA Ratio – these levels correspond with what you are eating and they all play a role in your health and your risk for heart disease

·Omega-3 Index Complete $99.95 - You can find out what fats make up your cells with this test.

·Mother’s Milk DHA Test $54.95 – This test will assess the amount of omega 3 DHA in mothers milk. Omega-3 DHA is an important component of a baby’s developing brain.

Poor blood sugar regulation and unhealthy triglyceride and lipoprotein levels often present long before a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes. SpectraCell’s CardioMetabolic, Pre-Diabetes, and LPP™ Plus Tests offer clinically relevant evaluation to help define risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), progression toward Type 2 Diabetes, and inflammation. These check points, along with a new CardioMetabolic Risk Assessment and Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment , help patients understand that not just one factor, but rather a constellation of factors, contributes to the genesis and progression toward cardiovascular disease including stroke, poor blood glucose control including Type 2 Diabetes, and/ or inflammation. Cost of this test is $140.

Stop by the pharmacy and we can answer any questions you might have regarding omega 3 fatty acids, testing and dosing for your individual condition. Until next time, be vigilant about your health!!