I’ve never seen fish oil actually lower cholesterol or decrease inflammation significantly on it’s own in my clients.
Yet it remains talked about in conventional, functional and naturopathic medicine spaces as if it actually works.
When I came across MIT trained engineer Professor Brian Peskin’s research on essential fatty acids I binge read his articles and listened to every podcast he’d been on.
Turns out the high amounts of the omega 3 DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in fish oil, which Professor Peskin refers to as “fish antifreeze” because it’s found 14x higher in cold water fish, is the issue.
Elevated DHA in the body overloads your cells and shoves out the beneficial omega 6 oils you get from your diet (think actual nuts & seeds).
Right now you may be thinking – but doc I’ve heard seed oils are bad, they create pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid and they contain omega 6.
Yes, manipulated omega 6 oils are inflammatory due to heating, frying, refining or hydrogenating as found in roasted nuts with oils, junk foods of all kinds and cheap oils used in cooking at most restaurants.
Those manipulated omega 6’s work similarly to elevated DHA in the blood from fish oil – both have potential to clog arteries – not cholesterol.
But doc there’s a lot of research on the benefits of fish oil…
…I know but when real world results aren’t matching research findings you have to wonder.
Research, like the media, is biased, I recommend questioning everything.
The entire medical community – including alternative medicine providers (myself included)have fallen victim to following the research trends presented in continuing education and by “top docs” in their fields.
My aim is to guide you in discovering what works for your health – not mine or the “guidelines” by a medical board for a population that’s average.
You’re not here to be average so I digress, let’s geek out…
Professor Peskin was gracious enough to answer my questions for over two hours during our podcast recording time (don’t worry the podcast isn’t that long – check it out HERE).
Turns out a high percentage of the population has an impaired fatty acid break down pathway called the delta-6-desaturase pathway.
This pathway converts dietary fats into fatty acids like gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), both are key for creating anti-inflammatory molecules and supporting brain function, heart health and immune response.
When this pathway isn’t running well it can cause increased inflammation, decreased circulation, cardiovascular conditions and impaired cognitive function.
Professor Peskin lists 9 major conditions related to delta-6-desaturase pathway insufficiency:
- diabetes type 1 and 2 – including neuropathy
- lipid-enveloped viruses
- alzheimer’s
- dermatological conditions
- cardiovascular disease
- inflammatory bowel disease
- chronic fatigue – including post viral syndromes like EBV/chronic mono
- fatty liver disease including – non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
- cancer related impairments
What’s interesting is that all of these conditions are on the rise.
Hmm could it be the foods we’re eating?
I’m pretty sure not everyone is taking fish oil to cause these conditions to be on the rise.
Perhaps you’re curious what your delta-6-desaturase pathway is up to…
…you can test this pathway using Genova’s NutrEval or the Metabolomix and US Biotek’s Nutristat Basic.
Or you could try out my free way of testing…
A client of mine was struggling with lingering pain and inflammation from a rotator cuff repair surgery.
We’d used peptides, PT, castor oil and red light therapy to help speed up the healing process but nothing was really helping.
I shared what I had learned from Professor Peskin with my client and he stopped the fish oil.
Two days later he emailed me and said the inflammation in the shoulder had subsided and he was feeling much better.
Now this guy eats impeccable – no seed oils from processed foods, everything closest to nature so outside interference was minimal.
I didn’t even have him use an alternative essential fatty acid like flax, chia, pumpkin or hemp, which I suspect would be ideal in someone with an impaired delta-6-desaturase pathway (and yes, Professor Peskin created a medical food blend to counter this which I will be trying out to see what happens in myself and my Dad).
Now I’ve tried this test out with other client’s and nothing changed so keep in mind – not everyone has an impairment in the pathway.
The bottom line – why take a supplement if it’s not benefitting you?
Fish oil supplements have been touted as something everyone needs, and I know I thought that for a long time.
Having devoured a lot of research in the last month I’m sure I’m not recommending fish oil anymore and will be moving back to eat your raw, and bonus if they are sprouted, nuts and seeds to get your omegas.
And if you’re experiencing one of the conditions above you may benefit from higher dosages of nuts, seeds or a high quality nut or seed oil that has not been refined.
It’s worth mentioning East Asian medicine has been using flaxseed congee (porridge) going back to ancient texts to support gut health, inflammation and circulation.
Old school medicine may have a lot of secrets for us.
By no means can I cover all the fatty acid details I learned from Brian Peskin in one email so I encourage you to read his white paper – HERE…
…and head to his website https://brianpeskin.com/ as well as listen our podcast to come up with your own conclusion (link below).
He’s a firecracker and a character so if you’re put off by a strong east coast Rush Limbaugh-like personality I’d read the papers vs listen to the podcast.
Here’s to reading through the lines on research,
Dr. J Krause
PS: What am I using now for inflammation? Barlean’s Organic Flaxseed Oil and Red Light Therapy (Novaa Lab for a diffuse area of pain, Flex Beam for pin pointed areas like the elbow and MitoPro Mobile for travel and nightly sessions to support brain detox and de-inflaming skin/face.)
