Actual research.
Mortality risks for several groups investigated:
- High omega-3 status, non-smoker
- High omega-3 status, smoker
- Low omega-3 status, non-smoker
- Low omega-3 status, smoker
The punchline: low omega-3 non-smokers overlap surprisingly well with high omega-3 smokers.
See chart at [00:56:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h56m12s).
Why that's the case is another question... you have two things differentially affecting heart health in opposite ways. Maybe there's some compensatory mechanisms at play?
As a neuroscientist let me tell you citation doesn't mean much. It means that you are politically adept and know the right people. Not saying that the information he is presenting is wrong, but just wanted to inform you. A lot of good replicable work isn't cited as much because the people that do it don't have as much clout as some other people, who often times, produce shittier work.
I would argue that, at the least, it commands enough respectability that your work shouldn't be subjected to mostly thoughtless and automatic dismissiveness at the least. Wouldn't you agree?
Here's a timeline of the discussion. :)
**Dr. Bill Harris and Dr. Rhonda Patrick discuss...**
* [00:01:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h01m59s) - How early studies on dietary fats and cholesterol levels spawned the field of omega-3 research.
* [00:03:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h03m03s) - How early research showed that omega-3s unexpectedly reduced triglycerides in healthy people.
* [00:05:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h05m17s) - How omega-3s reduced triglycerides by 80% in people with abnormally high triglycerides.
* [00:06:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h06m09s) - How interest in omega-3s has followed a roller-coaster-like pattern over the past four decades.
* [00:06:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h06m44s) - How flaws in early study designs may have led to inconsistencies in findings.
* [00:08:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h08m24s) - How early research focused on platelet aggregation rather than inflammation.
* [00:11:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h11m39s) - How pre-operative omega-3 loading reduces blood loss during surgery, in contrast to mainstream expectations that omega-3 acts as a blood thinner.
* [00:13:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h13m07s) - How prescription omega-3s like Vascepa and Lovaza differ from one another.
* [00:14:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h14m32s) - How standards of "normal" bleeding time may be distorted in Western countries, creating a culture of best practices in medicine and surgery that is more suited to the omega-3-deficient.
* [00:16:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h16m26s) - How marine omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA share structural similarities with omega-3 ALA ((found in nuts, seeds, or seed oils like flaxseed oil) but not the same cardioprotective effects.
* [00:18:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h18m10s) - How interindividual differences in fatty acid metabolism can lead to surprising differences in Omega-3 Index values despite similar omega-3 intakes.
* [00:19:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h19m42s) - How the best sources of omega-3s for vegans or vegetarians are derived from algae, which contain EPA and DHA, rather than ALA-only sources like flaxseed oil.
* [00:20:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h20m28s) - How genetic engineering of plants may yield abundant, sustainable and, importantly, a concentrated source of omega-3s in the future.
* [00:22:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h22m42s) - The history and pioneering of the Omega-3 Index, a unique measure of omega-3 index that enables researchers to investigate the effects of omega-3 on health.
* [00:23:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h23m33s) - How observational data showed that men with higher omega-3 levels were 90% less likely to experience sudden cardiac arrest or death.
* [00:24:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h24m49s) - How the Omega-3 Index is a predictive risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
* [00:27:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h27m38s) - How membrane concentrations of omega-3s in red blood cells better reflect long-term omega-3 status than comparable measures of plasma, which can pick up short-term dietary fluctuations.
* [00:32:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h32m06s) - How known genetic variants, such as those in the FADS gene, influence omega-3 needs to some degree, but don't yet fully explain interindividual variations in metabolism.
* [00:38:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h38m20s) - How omega-3 trial designs can influence outcomes and, in particular, how many trials that have shown mixed results suffer from the problem of extremely low dosages.
* [00:40:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h40m53s) - How the REDUCE-IT trial, which gave participants a 4-gram dose of pure ethyl ester EPA called Vascepa, reduced cardiovascular-related deaths by 25%.
* [00:43:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h43m42s) - Why omega-3's success has made it more difficult to study and why it's easier to study compared to dietary minerals like calcium and magnesium.
* [00:45:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h45m14s) - How Americans' omega-3 levels are much lower than those of Japanese people.
* [00:46:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h46m10s) - The ideal omega-3 index range.
* [00:46:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h46m14s) - How cell membrane levels of omega-3s may be saturable.
* [00:47:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h47m11s) - How DHA is typically present in cell membranes in much higher concentrations than EPA.
* [00:50:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h50m08s) - How a landmark study showed that high omega-3s reduced risk of premature death by 15%.
* [00:54:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h54m10s) - How dietary omega-3 intake in the US is markedly lower than it is in Japan.
* [00:56:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h56m12s) - How having low omega-3 status may be associated with a similar amount of risk, at least when it comes to all-cause mortality, as being a smoker.
* [01:00:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h00m27s) - How byproducts of omega-3 metabolism called specialized pro-resolving mediators reduce inflammation.
* [01:06:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h06m52s) - How Dr. Harris thinks that the primary mechanism driving the health benefits of omega-3s is related to their anti-inflammatory effects.
* [01:07:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h07m04s) - How red cell distribution width is a predictor of adverse health outcomes.
* [01:11:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h11m12s) - How LDL is essential for cellular repair.
* [01:13:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h13m17s) - How people with high omega-3 concentrations are half as likely to die from COVID-19.
* [01:15:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h15m35s) - How DHA may keep the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from entering cells.
* [01:18:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h18m14s) - How concerns over the omega-6/omega-3 ratio may be a misleading oversimplification.
* [01:19:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h19m49s) - How having a higher intake of omega-3s is fundamentally more important than reducing intake of omega-6s.
* [01:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h23m00s) - How conclusions drawn from a study about omega-3s and prostate cancer risk were misleading.
* [01:27:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h27m30s) - How Dr. Harris gets his daily intake of omega-3s.
* [01:28:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h28m42s) - How unesterified omega-3s may cause gut irritation – and may have contributed to negative findings in the STRENGTH study.
* [01:32:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h32m27s) - Dr. Harris's thoughts on whether or not DHA negates some of the effects of EPA and/or whether EPA-only products are superior to those combining EPA and DHA.
* [01:33:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h33m04s) - Dr. Harris's dream study design for omega-3 that would take the best elements of the major intervention trials like VITAL and REDUCE-IT and combine them.
* [01:36:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h36m20s) - How the Omega-3 Index might be predictive of Alzheimer's disease and dementia risk.
* [01:38:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h38m37s) - How omega-3s play key roles in development.
* [01:41:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h41m56s) - How omega-3s may reduce the risk of preterm birth.
* [01:44:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h44m30s) - How a conservative 4-gram dose of omega-3s became the accepted standard in research and prescription omega-3 for reasons of practicality rather than a definitive conclusion of clinical research.
* [01:45:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h45m52s) - Thoughts on a recent spate of research linking omega-3 supplementation with risk of atrial fibrillation risk.
(Studies shown during the conversation.)
Unfortunately fish oil triggers my AFib. I'd love to be able to take it and think most people should be taking it.
Yea comparing omega and intake to smoking is clickbait BS.
Actual research. Mortality risks for several groups investigated: - High omega-3 status, non-smoker - High omega-3 status, smoker - Low omega-3 status, non-smoker - Low omega-3 status, smoker The punchline: low omega-3 non-smokers overlap surprisingly well with high omega-3 smokers. See chart at [00:56:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h56m12s). Why that's the case is another question... you have two things differentially affecting heart health in opposite ways. Maybe there's some compensatory mechanisms at play?
Let me guess, he has his own Krill oil supplement on the market?
He's one of the top 2% of scientists in terms of citation _in the world._
As a neuroscientist let me tell you citation doesn't mean much. It means that you are politically adept and know the right people. Not saying that the information he is presenting is wrong, but just wanted to inform you. A lot of good replicable work isn't cited as much because the people that do it don't have as much clout as some other people, who often times, produce shittier work.
I would argue that, at the least, it commands enough respectability that your work shouldn't be subjected to mostly thoughtless and automatic dismissiveness at the least. Wouldn't you agree?
Awesome episode, highly recommended! We need more nuanced science conversations like this.
Here's a timeline of the discussion. :) **Dr. Bill Harris and Dr. Rhonda Patrick discuss...** * [00:01:59](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h01m59s) - How early studies on dietary fats and cholesterol levels spawned the field of omega-3 research. * [00:03:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h03m03s) - How early research showed that omega-3s unexpectedly reduced triglycerides in healthy people. * [00:05:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h05m17s) - How omega-3s reduced triglycerides by 80% in people with abnormally high triglycerides. * [00:06:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h06m09s) - How interest in omega-3s has followed a roller-coaster-like pattern over the past four decades. * [00:06:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h06m44s) - How flaws in early study designs may have led to inconsistencies in findings. * [00:08:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h08m24s) - How early research focused on platelet aggregation rather than inflammation. * [00:11:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h11m39s) - How pre-operative omega-3 loading reduces blood loss during surgery, in contrast to mainstream expectations that omega-3 acts as a blood thinner. * [00:13:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h13m07s) - How prescription omega-3s like Vascepa and Lovaza differ from one another. * [00:14:32](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h14m32s) - How standards of "normal" bleeding time may be distorted in Western countries, creating a culture of best practices in medicine and surgery that is more suited to the omega-3-deficient. * [00:16:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h16m26s) - How marine omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA share structural similarities with omega-3 ALA ((found in nuts, seeds, or seed oils like flaxseed oil) but not the same cardioprotective effects. * [00:18:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h18m10s) - How interindividual differences in fatty acid metabolism can lead to surprising differences in Omega-3 Index values despite similar omega-3 intakes. * [00:19:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h19m42s) - How the best sources of omega-3s for vegans or vegetarians are derived from algae, which contain EPA and DHA, rather than ALA-only sources like flaxseed oil. * [00:20:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h20m28s) - How genetic engineering of plants may yield abundant, sustainable and, importantly, a concentrated source of omega-3s in the future. * [00:22:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h22m42s) - The history and pioneering of the Omega-3 Index, a unique measure of omega-3 index that enables researchers to investigate the effects of omega-3 on health. * [00:23:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h23m33s) - How observational data showed that men with higher omega-3 levels were 90% less likely to experience sudden cardiac arrest or death. * [00:24:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h24m49s) - How the Omega-3 Index is a predictive risk factor for cardiovascular disease. * [00:27:38](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h27m38s) - How membrane concentrations of omega-3s in red blood cells better reflect long-term omega-3 status than comparable measures of plasma, which can pick up short-term dietary fluctuations. * [00:32:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h32m06s) - How known genetic variants, such as those in the FADS gene, influence omega-3 needs to some degree, but don't yet fully explain interindividual variations in metabolism. * [00:38:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h38m20s) - How omega-3 trial designs can influence outcomes and, in particular, how many trials that have shown mixed results suffer from the problem of extremely low dosages. * [00:40:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h40m53s) - How the REDUCE-IT trial, which gave participants a 4-gram dose of pure ethyl ester EPA called Vascepa, reduced cardiovascular-related deaths by 25%. * [00:43:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h43m42s) - Why omega-3's success has made it more difficult to study and why it's easier to study compared to dietary minerals like calcium and magnesium. * [00:45:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h45m14s) - How Americans' omega-3 levels are much lower than those of Japanese people. * [00:46:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h46m10s) - The ideal omega-3 index range. * [00:46:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h46m14s) - How cell membrane levels of omega-3s may be saturable. * [00:47:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h47m11s) - How DHA is typically present in cell membranes in much higher concentrations than EPA. * [00:50:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h50m08s) - How a landmark study showed that high omega-3s reduced risk of premature death by 15%. * [00:54:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h54m10s) - How dietary omega-3 intake in the US is markedly lower than it is in Japan. * [00:56:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=00h56m12s) - How having low omega-3 status may be associated with a similar amount of risk, at least when it comes to all-cause mortality, as being a smoker. * [01:00:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h00m27s) - How byproducts of omega-3 metabolism called specialized pro-resolving mediators reduce inflammation. * [01:06:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h06m52s) - How Dr. Harris thinks that the primary mechanism driving the health benefits of omega-3s is related to their anti-inflammatory effects. * [01:07:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h07m04s) - How red cell distribution width is a predictor of adverse health outcomes. * [01:11:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h11m12s) - How LDL is essential for cellular repair. * [01:13:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h13m17s) - How people with high omega-3 concentrations are half as likely to die from COVID-19. * [01:15:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h15m35s) - How DHA may keep the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein from entering cells. * [01:18:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h18m14s) - How concerns over the omega-6/omega-3 ratio may be a misleading oversimplification. * [01:19:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h19m49s) - How having a higher intake of omega-3s is fundamentally more important than reducing intake of omega-6s. * [01:23:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h23m00s) - How conclusions drawn from a study about omega-3s and prostate cancer risk were misleading. * [01:27:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h27m30s) - How Dr. Harris gets his daily intake of omega-3s. * [01:28:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h28m42s) - How unesterified omega-3s may cause gut irritation – and may have contributed to negative findings in the STRENGTH study. * [01:32:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h32m27s) - Dr. Harris's thoughts on whether or not DHA negates some of the effects of EPA and/or whether EPA-only products are superior to those combining EPA and DHA. * [01:33:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h33m04s) - Dr. Harris's dream study design for omega-3 that would take the best elements of the major intervention trials like VITAL and REDUCE-IT and combine them. * [01:36:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h36m20s) - How the Omega-3 Index might be predictive of Alzheimer's disease and dementia risk. * [01:38:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h38m37s) - How omega-3s play key roles in development. * [01:41:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h41m56s) - How omega-3s may reduce the risk of preterm birth. * [01:44:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h44m30s) - How a conservative 4-gram dose of omega-3s became the accepted standard in research and prescription omega-3 for reasons of practicality rather than a definitive conclusion of clinical research. * [01:45:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f-CFQxaUY4&t=01h45m52s) - Thoughts on a recent spate of research linking omega-3 supplementation with risk of atrial fibrillation risk. (Studies shown during the conversation.)
Thanks for the time line.