Dr. Joseph Maroon, Neurosurgeon, Triathlete, Fish oil and Wellness Expert

As a neurosurgeon and also an author, lecturer and researcher on the topic of Omega-3 Fish oil, I remain committed and convinced of the numerous health benefits of Omega-3 for the human body.    As the science of omega-3 continues to expand  there are recent articles that demonstrate that eating fish and seafood, and not just taking omega-3 as a dietary supplement, might provide greater health benefits.

During a recent Living Well Radio Show, that broadcasted on WVBP , co-hosts Jeff Bost PAC and Dr. Joseph Maroon, discuss the latest facts on omega-3 extracted from fish and seafood.

FACTS:

• Omega-3 fatty acids are considered “essential” for for human existence.
• This is because humans incorporate the omega-3 molecule into every cell membrane of our body.
• Humans cannot manufacture Omega-3 by ourselves, and therefore it must be consumed.
• Omega-3 is involved in the regulation pain and swelling, and helps maintain proper vascular and heart health. Adequate amounts of
• Omega-3 promote fluidity in nerve transmission and brain cell production.
• Taking an Omega-3 dietary supplement or consuming adequate amounts seafood must be obtained on a daily basis for optimal health and wellness

The most worrisome fact is the great majority of Americans are deficient in Omega-3 due to our typical  Western diet. In fact, Americans on average only eat about 20 pounds of fish or seafood per year. Compared our 20 pounds/annually of seafood consumption to other counties around the world and the results are frightening when we also compare disease reduction.  The fact is those countries that eat the most seafood (200 pounds or 10 time more) also have the lowest disease risk.   Americans are missing out on a relatively easy way to reduce our risk for many chronic diseases and early death we now face by just changing out diet.

Presentation on the Importance Omega-3 in our Diet

This is the slide presentation, used during the LIVING WELL Radio show discussion, entitled PDF Should I be Eating More Fish 7 20 2024 Joseph Maroon MD . The image to the LEFT demonstrates the results of a study that looked at cardiovascular risk in various countries (Slide 9, Omega-3 – Cardiovascular Disease).  The graph shows an important point on how eating more fish and seafood may benefit to our health compared to not eating seafood. The line graph shows that countries that eat the least fish and seafood (TOP Left corner) have more risk of cardiovascular disease compared to the (BOTTOM Right) countries that eat more seafood.

Based on this research and many other recent dietary studies, I  now believe that eating fish and seafood as food, may be as important or perhaps even more important than that taking concentrated dietary supplements.  The making and manufacturing of typical omega-3 supplements often removes or leaves out many of the nutrients found in seafood that have tremendous health benefits.  Purification of fish oil to process supplements may remove healthy polyphenols and other types of Omega-3 which likely contribute to the overall health benefits of oily fish.

Why Purified Fish Oil Still May be Superior to Oily Fish (Olive Oil to the Rescue)

Using purified fish oils as a supplement is still a valid way of removing possible toxicants such as mercury, PCBs, and lead that can be in high concentration in seafood due to the world-wide pollution of our oceans.  The issue remains, however, that along with the toxins some healthy molecules are loss in the purification processing.

Several prominent scientists now believe that by adding back into purified fish oil another nature source of polyphenol antioxidants, such as found in olive oil, may solve this problem.  Why Olive oil? Because olives contain the healthy fat called oleic oil. This is the oil that is used with most foods that make up the Mediterranean Diet. Purified fish oil can be easily combined with the polyphenols found in olives.  The olive oil antioxidants, along with added vitamin D and tocopherols (Vitamin E), can stabilize the fish oil to help limit the occurrence of oxidization that can occur in some fish oil supplements.

I hope to continue this discussion in the future, particularity as to why whole fish oil supplements along with added olive oil may provide benefits with are just now beginning to uncover. I encourage you to look at this attached PowerPoint presentation that reviews why Omega-3’s are so critical for our health and longevity.

REFERENCES:

1. From alga to omega; have we reached peak (fish) oil?Paul R Clayton corresponding author1 and Szabolcs Ladi 2J R Soc Med. 2015 Sep; 108(9): 351–357.doi: 10.1177/0141076815599673PMCID: PMC4582263PMID: 26359136
2. Effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation for patients with osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis J Orthop Surg Res. 2023; 18: 381. Published online 2023 May 24. doi: 10.1186/s13018-023-03855-w PMCID: PMC10210278PMID: 37226250
3. University of Gothenburg. “Preterm babies given certain fatty acids have better vision.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 24 August 2023. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230824111854.htm>.
4. McBurney, a Fellow of the American Society for Nutrition and the Canadian Nutrition Society, will present the findings at NUTRITION 2023, the flagship annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held July 22–25 in Boston.
5. Investigating associations of omega-3 fatty acids, lung function decline, and airway obstruction. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2023; doi: 10.1164/rccm.202301-0074OC
6. Recent Clinical Trials Shed New Light on the Cardiovascular Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2019 Jul-Sep; 15(3): 171–178. doi: 10.14797/mdcj-15-3-171 PMCID: PMC6822654 PMID: 31687095
7. Omega-3 supplementation alters mitochondrial membrane composition and respiration kinetics in human skeletal muscle J Physiol. 2014 Mar 15; 592(Pt 6): 1341–1352. Published online 2014 Feb 13. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.267336 PMCID: PMC3961091
PMID: 24396061
8. https://www.nutraceuticalsworld.com/contents/view_breaking-news/2021-05-27/study-finds-most-us-adults-have-low-blood-serum-levels-of-omega-3s/#:~:text=A%20study%20published%20in%20the,the%20high%20cardiovascular%20risk%20category.
9. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17290-omega-3-fatty-acids
10. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/11/chart-shows-countries-consume-fish-food-security/
11. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/per-capita-meat-consumption-by-type-kilograms-per-year?country=OWID_WRL~USA
12. https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/foodservice-retail/americans-consumed-a-record-amount-of-seafood-in-2021
13. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/omega3-supplements-in-depth
14. https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/advice-about-eating-fish
15. https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/fdaepa-2004-advice-what-you-need-know-about-mercury-fish-and-shellfish
16. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/#:~:text=Cold%2Dwater%20fatty%20fish%2C%20such%20as%20salmon%2C%20mackerel%2C,composition%20of%20the%20food%20that%20the%20fish