my pleasure. Please spread the channel so I may reach as many people as possible. It takes significant resources to produce these videos and by viewers subscribing and clicking on the bell for notifications I am hopeful to be able to make more helpful videos.
I have been an Omega three fan for 25 years since I did a nutrition course. I learnt so much much about health there. I take Udo's Oil everyday: A balance of omega 3.6.9, a tablespoon on my steam veg. Lovely nutty flavour. I would question your hypothesis that ALA is poorly converted. I think with the right supporting vitamins - Bs, Zinc and Magnesium from diet, probably most can convert well (otherwise there would be a lot of very sick vegans). My diet is plant based, very little processed food, I am nearly 69, still part time working as a health care professional, perfectly well and on no medications.
wonderful to hear. thank you for sharing. I test a lot of people and I see the ALA conversion is low in most including those who take ALA from a plant source e.g. sage (I'm not talking about certain seaweeds which have EPA/DHA), even those who are well nourished. of course there are many factors. as much as my ideal would be to not eat animals or their produce, I think that for most people...there are factors which they (or their microbiomes) will not obtain in the best forms and quantities from a solely plant-based diet and this may affect their long term health/vitality.
@@eh..whatsupdoc Thank you for your reply. Appreciated. The source of omega 3 in Udo's is flax, a very high source of omega 3. Maybe those getting omega 3 from other plant sources is insufficient. If you hypothesis is right about vegans having long term health effects from lack of EPA or DHA howcome they out perform omnivores in most health outcomes except bone density?
@@helenmurray6786 I am making observations on what I am seeing in patients' results and not making a hypothesis. I would need to see good long term well-designed studies of years with clear end points in order to appraise if one diet is better than another. Many studies show surrogate differences at 6 months for example but not meaningful clinical endpoints years down the road. It all depends upon what is being measured.
Dr Cohen, I started taking Omega 3 and also Vitamin D, about two months ago I have now found my blood pressure has dropped could this be caused by these two vitamins ? many thanks if you have the time to answer.
Thank you Dr Cohen for your video on this - my partner and I have just started on Omega 3 supplements and on your advice have been keeping them in the fridge! Never knew that either... I also discovered your channel via Dr Campbell - keep up the good work! Also enjoy your joint videos you do with Dr Campbell. Thank you.
Good afternoon From the UK Dr. Cohen Thank you so much I am really enjoying your videos having discovered you via Dr. John Campbell As a retired nurse with a few inflammatory issues Of my own I am very interested by the contents of your video I have been on omega-3 for a long time but had no idea they needed to be kept in the fridge! Thank you Christine
Good stuff! So glad you mentioned that these precious oils MUST be refrigerated! I have a fridge for that. You didn't mention the dose that you find of value, so next time I hope you can touch on the blood test numbers and the doses that you reckon will match. Thanks.
yes but they ideally should be a type which was refrigerated from the time of production. Please spread the channel so I may reach as many people as possible. It takes significant resources to produce these videos and by viewers subscribing and clicking on the bell for notifications I am hopeful to be able to make more helpful videos.
Thank you so much for this. My eldest daughter is 10 and has severe ADD. She has been on stimulant medication for just over 13 months now. I took about 6 weeks to decide whether to try medication or not and am obviously keen for her to have the smallest dose possible. It has changed her life, especially in school, for the better. It is also only one tool in a whole tool kit I have to use. We are due a paediatrician appointment to discuss medication and her symptoms now quite soon. I’ll definitely be asking for further advice re dose etc on this.🙏🏼
but bigPharmaBigProfit control the teaching of doctors and the medical practice guidelines, so paeds doctor will just say that the expensive drugs are the recommended way to go, if there is no profit in EPA oil for bigPharma they will not like it - and do not forget that they can buy the politicians and regulatory agencies too, they are giant companies out to make giant profit
there is a company called omegaquant which sends kits to the home to measure omega 3 index. I have no interest in this company and there may be others but this is the type of test which may be useful. Diet is important too. As is plenty of physical exercise. Also levels of vitamin D 25 OH, B12, ferritin, transferrin saturations, folic acid, zinc, magnesium, thyroid function which need to be checked and optimised for a long period of time along with omega 3:6 ratio in order to see if this may help a person with such symptoms. This is not intended to replace medical advice from her doctor(s) but worth asking about and looking into. best wishes
I do not recommend brands - but do look for ones which have been refined/purified to avoid dioxins, PCBs and mercury...and which have been refrigerated from production to sale.
Dr Cohen I've noticed a good effect on my facial skin and nails while on omega. Is the dosage for addressing IL6 inflammation different to usual supplement dosage please? My partner had high IL6 after after covid and had lingering symptoms.
@@eh..whatsupdoc will do! I'm praying this helps I know that it's not an instant fix that it will take some time for me to notice any difference. I also started on an anti inflammatory diet at the same time for long haulers. My Dr also put me several supplements K2, Magnesium 400mg at night, along with Vitamin E, C, Zinc low dose, alpha lipoic acid 600mg This is why I asked you to do a video on anti inflammatory diet
I'm 65 year old male. Been using ALA from flaxseed oil for 30+ years. I disagree with the bad conversion hypothesis and believe it is just used to promote the other forms down the pathway. Started originally to help lower back muscle tear which it fixed nicely! Now any time I do anything strenuous, hiking, chopping wood, I load up before and after resulting in no aches or pain the next day! I tell my friends to try a teaspoon a day and back off when it comes out slippery. I've noticed many other benefits with hair, skin, and heart. All numbers are good and no meds! I'll stick with drinking ALA as I feel I need it. Thanks for touching on the issue!
thank you for sharing. I test levels and ALA is definitely not well converted in MOST people. This does not mean it is not effective in some but less predictably so. best wishes
I have tinea capitis (just a visual diagnosis by my gp) around the back of my head and am thinking that if this helps psoriasis I should try omega 3. There is little chance of getting my levels tested by my GP so I will just take the dosage recommended on the bottle. I will let you know if anything improves.
Hello from America! Great video & appreciate you sharing your knowledge & wisdom. I take Krill Oil rather than fish oil. Did not know fish oil should be refrigerated! Also, can you tell me what test to ask for if I wanted to be tested to see what my levels are? Thank you!
My assessment is that all oil based supplements should be refrigerated, including Vitamins A, D, E to minimize oxidation from exposure to heat & light.
Thanks for posting the video Dr. Cohen! I used to take omega-3 supplementation for arthritis inflammation. I stopped when when developed atrial flutter and placed on Pradaxa. Had cardioversion and have remained in sinus rhythm and am no longer on anticoagulant. Thought about restarting the omega-3 but have seen conflicting studies concerning omega-3 causing cardiac arrhythmia and not causing. Hesitant to take it since do not want to risk reoccurrence of atrial flutter.
This is a tricky one..there is evidence that in high doses, atrial fibrillation is associated (not so much flutter and there is conflicting evidence here as some studies show that it reduces the risks of atrial arrythmias) hence necessary to seek a cardiology opinion. On the plus side, cardiovascular mortality is actually reduced overall but this is a population fact and ultimately a personal tailoring must be made to your needs. How old are you please? was your omega 3 level actually checked at any point?
@@eh..whatsupdoc Dr. Cohen very kind of you to respond. I am 73 and omega 3 levels were never checked. I had already stopped the Omega-3 when seen by Cardiologist and level was never checked. Thank you for the informative videos you post.
Thank you so much from the UK! (Again!) Sorry this is a long comment, but I think there are some important questions in it that I'm hoping you might help with. I substantially reversed heart disease through years on a strict, unprocessed, low sugar and oil free vegan diet with supplements including D3 and B12. This also reduced nagging joint pains and allergies. However, although my lipid levels have been consistently excellent for all the years I've done this, ( to be honest they were good to start with) I never had my omega 3/6 ratio checked and I had a revolving cycle of nagging injuries from exercise that seemed to take an age to heal. When I checked my omega levels last year, omega 3 was OK but Omega 6 a little high, maybe due to eating too many walnuts for omega 3s. 'I've been supplementing with a good algae omega 3 since last September. My ratio was much better by November and I continue to take them, ( as well as trying to reduce those wholegrains, beans and nuts that are higher in omega 6). My 59 year old active body is SO much less prone to injury and heals so much more quickly, and my chronic sinusitis is much reduced. Last summer I had to give up country walks because of painful ankles and had constant shoulder injuries. Now I'm back to hiking, swimming, Zumba, weights etc with no problems. I can only hope that this is also maximising my heart health. 1. As my ratio wasn't too bad to begin with, am I right that some people just need it to be better to reduce inflammation? 2. I've also always suspected that inflammation rather than LDL was a major factor in developing heart disease, as I always had good lipid numbers. This doesn't seem to be anything my GP or cardiologist is very interested in: they're just ok with me keeping off statins as long as lipid numbers and stress tests are good. One also suggested that omega 3 can raise LDL, but I've heard this isn't necessarily a problem if it just means the particles are bigger and less damaging. DO you have a view on the possible impact on DLD?
it sounds like you're doing a lot of good for yourself. Inflammation may be "good" or "bad". In terms of heart disease development, LDL per se is not "bad" but small particle/oxidised LDL is likely a real problem in a cascade of other events responsible for arterial wall disease development. Omega 3:6 ratio is important but can be overdone also so needs monitoring. There are tests for oxidised LDL/particle size/apolipoprotein B which are vastly more meaningful than a standard lipid profile which does not show information about the type of LDL. The aim should be to have unoxidised/less oxidised larger LDL (instead of small dense LDL) and low apolipoprotein B. I do not know the significance of the effect of omega 3 on LDL as it would depend on which type of LDL and that may be an individual matter for each person. So many factors involved. As much as a vegan diet appeals including morally, it may not be the best diet - again, what is the best diet is determined for each individual. I'll likely film a video on this soon.
Thank you! I had most of those checked years ago and do cheat with some wild salmon! It seems people vary. I will keep testing my omega levels. Wonderful work you're doing.
I take one a day of a Omega 3 Fish Oil capsule that contain 330mg EPA/220mg DHA. They're kept in the fridge because I hear the oil will go rancid. Not sure how true that is. I also consume sardines from a tin from the brand Glenryck. I avoid eating the tomato sauce they're in though.
Please spread the channel so I may reach as many people as possible. It takes significant resources to produce these videos and by viewers subscribing and clicking on the bell for notifications I am hopeful to be able to make more helpful videos.
Thank you Doc.
Terrific info and I especially love the comment section.
You are generous in sharing your time and knowledge🙏
my pleasure. Please spread the channel so I may reach as many people as possible. It takes significant resources to produce these videos and by viewers subscribing and clicking on the bell for notifications I am hopeful to be able to make more helpful videos.
I have been an Omega three fan for 25 years since I did a nutrition course. I learnt so much much about health there. I take Udo's Oil everyday: A balance of omega 3.6.9, a tablespoon on my steam veg. Lovely nutty flavour. I would question your hypothesis that ALA is poorly converted. I think with the right supporting vitamins - Bs, Zinc and Magnesium from diet, probably most can convert well (otherwise there would be a lot of very sick vegans). My diet is plant based, very little processed food, I am nearly 69, still part time working as a health care professional, perfectly well and on no medications.
wonderful to hear. thank you for sharing. I test a lot of people and I see the ALA conversion is low in most including those who take ALA from a plant source e.g. sage (I'm not talking about certain seaweeds which have EPA/DHA), even those who are well nourished. of course there are many factors. as much as my ideal would be to not eat animals or their produce, I think that for most people...there are factors which they (or their microbiomes) will not obtain in the best forms and quantities from a solely plant-based diet and this may affect their long term health/vitality.
@@eh..whatsupdoc Thank you for your reply. Appreciated. The source of omega 3 in Udo's is flax, a very high source of omega 3. Maybe those getting omega 3 from other plant sources is insufficient. If you hypothesis is right about vegans having long term health effects from lack of EPA or DHA howcome they out perform omnivores in most health outcomes except bone density?
@@helenmurray6786 I am making observations on what I am seeing in patients' results and not making a hypothesis. I would need to see good long term well-designed studies of years with clear end points in order to appraise if one diet is better than another. Many studies show surrogate differences at 6 months for example but not meaningful clinical endpoints years down the road. It all depends upon what is being measured.
Dr Cohen, I started taking Omega 3 and also Vitamin D, about two months ago I have now found my blood pressure has dropped could this be caused by these two vitamins ? many thanks if you have the time to answer.
Thank you Dr Cohen for your video on this - my partner and I have just started on Omega 3 supplements and on your advice have been keeping them in the fridge! Never knew that either... I also discovered your channel via Dr Campbell - keep up the good work! Also enjoy your joint videos you do with Dr Campbell. Thank you.
Good afternoon From the UK Dr. Cohen
Thank you so much I am really enjoying your videos having discovered you via Dr. John Campbell
As a retired nurse with a few inflammatory issues Of my own I am very interested by the contents of your video
I have been on omega-3 for a long time but had no idea they needed to be kept in the fridge! Thank you
Christine
Glad you like them!
Good stuff! So glad you mentioned that these precious oils MUST be refrigerated! I have a fridge for that.
You didn't mention the dose that you find of value, so next time I hope you can touch on the blood test numbers and the doses that you reckon will match. Thanks.
Very good talk, thanks Dr.
Dr Cohen do you mean we should refrigerate our omega supplements?
Yes
yes but they ideally should be a type which was refrigerated from the time of production. Please spread the channel so I may reach as many people as possible. It takes significant resources to produce these videos and by viewers subscribing and clicking on the bell for notifications I am hopeful to be able to make more helpful videos.
Thank you so much for this. My eldest daughter is 10 and has severe ADD. She has been on stimulant medication for just over 13 months now. I took about 6 weeks to decide whether to try medication or not and am obviously keen for her to have the smallest dose possible. It has changed her life, especially in school, for the better. It is also only one tool in a whole tool kit I have to use. We are due a paediatrician appointment to discuss medication and her symptoms now quite soon. I’ll definitely be asking for further advice re dose etc on this.🙏🏼
but bigPharmaBigProfit control the teaching of doctors and the medical practice guidelines, so paeds doctor will just say that the expensive drugs are the recommended way to go, if there is no profit in EPA oil for bigPharma they will not like it - and do not forget that they can buy the politicians and regulatory agencies too, they are giant companies out to make giant profit
there is a company called omegaquant which sends kits to the home to measure omega 3 index. I have no interest in this company and there may be others but this is the type of test which may be useful. Diet is important too. As is plenty of physical exercise. Also levels of vitamin D 25 OH, B12, ferritin, transferrin saturations, folic acid, zinc, magnesium, thyroid function which need to be checked and optimised for a long period of time along with omega 3:6 ratio in order to see if this may help a person with such symptoms. This is not intended to replace medical advice from her doctor(s) but worth asking about and looking into. best wishes
What brand Omega-3 do you recommend? Are IFOS certificates safe? thank you.
I do not recommend brands - but do look for ones which have been refined/purified to avoid dioxins, PCBs and mercury...and which have been refrigerated from production to sale.
Dr Cohen I've noticed a good effect on my facial skin and nails while on omega.
Is the dosage for addressing IL6 inflammation different to usual supplement dosage please? My partner had high IL6 after after covid and had lingering symptoms.
My primary care dr put me on omega 3 with vitamin E last Tuesday for long hauler covid, so I've only been taking this for a week now
do please update us on how you do with this - wishing you well
@@eh..whatsupdoc will do! I'm praying this helps I know that it's not an instant fix that it will take some time for me to notice any difference. I also started on an anti inflammatory diet at the same time for long haulers. My Dr also put me several supplements K2, Magnesium 400mg at night, along with Vitamin E, C, Zinc low dose, alpha lipoic acid 600mg
This is why I asked you to do a video on anti inflammatory diet
I'm 65 year old male. Been using ALA from flaxseed oil for 30+ years. I disagree with the bad conversion hypothesis and believe it is just used to promote the other forms down the pathway. Started originally to help lower back muscle tear which it fixed nicely! Now any time I do anything strenuous, hiking, chopping wood, I load up before and after resulting in no aches or pain the next day! I tell my friends to try a teaspoon a day and back off when it comes out slippery. I've noticed many other benefits with hair, skin, and heart. All numbers are good and no meds! I'll stick with drinking ALA as I feel I need it. Thanks for touching on the issue!
thank you for sharing. I test levels and ALA is definitely not well converted in MOST people. This does not mean it is not effective in some but less predictably so. best wishes
I have tinea capitis (just a visual diagnosis by my gp) around the back of my head and am thinking that if this helps psoriasis I should try omega 3. There is little chance of getting my levels tested by my GP so I will just take the dosage recommended on the bottle. I will let you know if anything improves.
Hello from America! Great video & appreciate you sharing your knowledge & wisdom. I take Krill Oil rather than fish oil. Did not know fish oil should be refrigerated! Also, can you tell me what test to ask for if I wanted to be tested to see what my levels are? Thank you!
My assessment is that all oil based supplements should be refrigerated, including Vitamins A, D, E to minimize oxidation from exposure to heat & light.
Thanks for posting the video Dr. Cohen! I used to take omega-3 supplementation for arthritis inflammation. I stopped when when developed atrial flutter and placed on Pradaxa. Had cardioversion and have remained in sinus rhythm and am no longer on anticoagulant. Thought about restarting the omega-3 but have seen conflicting studies concerning omega-3 causing cardiac arrhythmia and not causing. Hesitant to take it since do not want to risk reoccurrence of atrial flutter.
This is a tricky one..there is evidence that in high doses, atrial fibrillation is associated (not so much flutter and there is conflicting evidence here as some studies show that it reduces the risks of atrial arrythmias) hence necessary to seek a cardiology opinion. On the plus side, cardiovascular mortality is actually reduced overall but this is a population fact and ultimately a personal tailoring must be made to your needs. How old are you please? was your omega 3 level actually checked at any point?
@@eh..whatsupdoc Dr. Cohen very kind of you to respond. I am 73 and omega 3 levels were never checked. I had already stopped the Omega-3 when seen by Cardiologist and level was never checked. Thank you for the informative videos you post.
Thank you so much from the UK! (Again!) Sorry this is a long comment, but I think there are some important questions in it that I'm hoping you might help with. I substantially reversed heart disease through years on a strict, unprocessed, low sugar and oil free vegan diet with supplements including D3 and B12. This also reduced nagging joint pains and allergies. However, although my lipid levels have been consistently excellent for all the years I've done this, ( to be honest they were good to start with) I never had my omega 3/6 ratio checked and I had a revolving cycle of nagging injuries from exercise that seemed to take an age to heal. When I checked my omega levels last year, omega 3 was OK but Omega 6 a little high, maybe due to eating too many walnuts for omega 3s. 'I've been supplementing with a good algae omega 3 since last September. My ratio was much better by November and I continue to take them, ( as well as trying to reduce those wholegrains, beans and nuts that are higher in omega 6). My 59 year old active body is SO much less prone to injury and heals so much more quickly, and my chronic sinusitis is much reduced. Last summer I had to give up country walks because of painful ankles and had constant shoulder injuries. Now I'm back to hiking, swimming, Zumba, weights etc with no problems. I can only hope that this is also maximising my heart health. 1. As my ratio wasn't too bad to begin with, am I right that some people just need it to be better to reduce inflammation? 2. I've also always suspected that inflammation rather than LDL was a major factor in developing heart disease, as I always had good lipid numbers. This doesn't seem to be anything my GP or cardiologist is very interested in: they're just ok with me keeping off statins as long as lipid numbers and stress tests are good. One also suggested that omega 3 can raise LDL, but I've heard this isn't necessarily a problem if it just means the particles are bigger and less damaging. DO you have a view on the possible impact on DLD?
it sounds like you're doing a lot of good for yourself. Inflammation may be "good" or "bad". In terms of heart disease development, LDL per se is not "bad" but small particle/oxidised LDL is likely a real problem in a cascade of other events responsible for arterial wall disease development. Omega 3:6 ratio is important but can be overdone also so needs monitoring. There are tests for oxidised LDL/particle size/apolipoprotein B which are vastly more meaningful than a standard lipid profile which does not show information about the type of LDL. The aim should be to have unoxidised/less oxidised larger LDL (instead of small dense LDL) and low apolipoprotein B. I do not know the significance of the effect of omega 3 on LDL as it would depend on which type of LDL and that may be an individual matter for each person. So many factors involved. As much as a vegan diet appeals including morally, it may not be the best diet - again, what is the best diet is determined for each individual. I'll likely film a video on this soon.
Thank you! I had most of those checked years ago and do cheat with some wild salmon! It seems people vary. I will keep testing my omega levels. Wonderful work you're doing.
@@cressidathomson9363 that is hardly called cheating
I take one a day of a Omega 3 Fish Oil capsule that contain 330mg EPA/220mg DHA. They're kept in the fridge because I hear the oil will go rancid. Not sure how true that is. I also consume sardines from a tin from the brand Glenryck. I avoid eating the tomato sauce they're in though.
I take a vegan omega 3 derived from algae 👍.
Please spread the channel so I may reach as many people as possible. It takes significant resources to produce these videos and by viewers subscribing and clicking on the bell for notifications I am hopeful to be able to make more helpful videos.