once again that use of nutritional supple- ments may be harmful." No, they did not show that supple- ments are harmful. The study did not ask about dietary intake. Or supplement intake. They did not collect this information. Maybe the pa- tients with cancer heard from their hair- dresser or physician or spouse that Omega 3 fats are good for you, and figured why not take some....or maybe they just had a nice Alaskan salmon steak the night be- fore. Or maybe they were trying to eat a “healthier” diet since they had cancer. Eggs, leafy greens, grass fed beef, poultry, walnuts and flax seeds all contain Omega 3’s.
The article’s conclusion that Omega
3’s cause cancer (tumerigenesis) is specu- lative at best, and alarmist and confusing at worst. It is certainly not helpful. The press didn’t help either. It fright- ened patients and caught physicians off guard. The media misled the public and sensationalized the results before the sci- entific community could respond. It is wise for all to not jump to conclusions and make abrupt changes based on any single study. If a therapy is working for you, don’t stop it because someone reports that it is “bad for you.”
So what are reasonable recommenda-
tions concerning fish oil supplementation or intake of oily fish? Just do it. Most of us are deficient. Our ancestors used to have a ratio of Omega 6 (vegetable oil)/Omega 3 (walnuts, flax and fish oil) of 1/1. We are now closer to 16/1. Unless you are told otherwise 1200-2400 mg (EPA+DHA) Omega 3 fats/day is reasonable. If you have heart disease, autoimmune disease, depression or manic depressive illness you may require much higher doses. But too much fish oil isn’t good either. It can calm down inflammation too much. Work with someone and test red blood cell, not plasma, levels of essential fats. Choose safe healthy fish oils. The product must be distilled to remove diox- ins and PCB’s. We have contaminated the seas with these toxins and bigger fish concentrate them in their fats. Oils made from sardines, anchovies and herring are the least polluted. To achieve the dose mentioned above consider buying a more expensive oil that has a higher concentra- tion of EPA and DHA and swallowing fewer pills. Less expensive pills may only contain 200-300 mg EPA+DHA. One would have to take 10 of these a day. If you prefer eating fish, eat oily fish.
Farm raised Atlantic salmon does not have Omega 3 fats. It has Omega 6 fats from the corn that it is being fed in the salmon farm. Alaskan and Pacific salmon have good levels of Omega 3’s and relatively low levels of pollutants. Two-three servings per week are enough. Sardines are an excellent source of Omega 3’s. If you are vegan, take flax oil. But you
will have to take eleven grams of flax oil to make 1000 mg of fish oil. And if you eat any trans fats or have B vitamin deficien- cies or drink alcohol or are “older”, you may not convert sufficient amounts of flax oil into DHA, the fish oil that makes up 25% of your brain. So take at least 400 mg DHA from algae in addition to the flax oil. That’s where the fish get it from. If you use Krill oil take 300mg 1-2 x
daily. Krill is EPA and DHA already at- tached to phospholipid which is their functional unit in the body. The phospho- lipids are more easily incorporated into cell membranes, which are where they reduce inflammation. Do not use Krill if you are sensitive to shrimp. Krill is espe- cially good for lowering blood triglycer- ides.
When we take Omega 3 supplements, we must protect them from getting rancid by having sufficient antioxidants available. Omega 3 fats are the most unsaturated fats in the body. They need the most antioxi- dants. Be certain to take Vitamin E 400 IU with gamma and other tocopherols. Do not take synthetic dl alpha tocopherols alone. Or take ¼ cup sunflower seeds daily. Add selenomethionine 200mcg daily or a small handful of Brazil nuts and Vitamin C 1-2 1000mg twice a day. Lastly, if you eat a lousy diet, taking
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fish oil doesn’t make up for eating a lousy diet. Supplements are supplementary to a great diet.
For more information with hyperlinks for all articles cited, go to www.drvaughan. com
Elizabeth Vaughan, MD is board certified by the American Boards of Integrative and Holistic Medicine, Internal Medicine and Clinical Metal Toxicology. Vaughan Integra- tive Medicine is located at 1301-A W. Wendover Ave., Greensboro. Visit www.
VaughanIntegrative.com for more info. Call 336-801-3627 to schedule a consultation. See ads on pages 2, 15, 23, 39, 46.
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