Princeton's Ask The Doctor Jan-Feb 2019

QUESTION: Should I be taking fish oil? I recently read that it does not have the benefits as originally thought. ANSWER:

252 W. Delaware Ave Pennington, NJ 08534

Absolutely!! Fish oil is a fantastic addition to a healthy lifestyle. The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of the VITAL study on Jan 3, 2019. This was a large study of almost 26,000 people followed for 5.3 years. Their conclusion was that supplementation with omega 3 fatty acids (fish oil) did not result in a lower incidence of major cardiovascular events or cancer. However, there were subgroups of the population who received benefit and there was a specific fraction of fish oil that showed a dramatic reduction in cardiac events. This study adds to the pile of conflicting results on the benefits of fish oil. Large dietary and supplement studies have so many variables that it is possible to cloud the obvious. Additionally, this study used the least bioavailable form of fish oil (the ethyl ester form) and an “average” dose vs an individualized dose based on each persons’ needs. Many previous studies of fish oil supplementation show benefits for cardiovascular disease, cancer prevention, cognitive heath, the developing infant brain, macular degeneration, dry eye, arthritis, and inflammatory conditions. Omega 3 fatty acids are an integral part of the cellmembrane of every cell inour bodies. There is a blood test called anOmega 3 Index (validated in studies by theNIH) that reflects the percentage of omega 3 fats in the red blood cell membranes. It should be 8% or more. Long term supplementation with omega 3 fatty acids has been shown to increase the Omega 3 Index and also reduce some of the more inflammatory fats in the cell membranes. In our office we check the omega 3 index with our comprehensive cardiovascular evaluations and our brain health tests. When the Omega 3 Index goes up, the cognitive function test results improve. Getting Omega 3 s from dietary fish intake has become problematic since it is associated with toxic mercury exposure. Our office strongly encourages supplementation with a more bioavailable form of fish oil and we individualize the dose to obtain an Omega3 index of 8% or better.

People taking blood thinning medications and people allergic to fish or shellfish should check with their doctor before taking fish oil. Dr Kate Thomsen’s office for holistic health care is located in Pennington, NJ. She is trained in Family Medicine, and Board Certified in Integrative Medicine, and is an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner. She has been practicing Functional Medicine for 20 years. For more information see www.drkatethomsen.com or call the office at 609-818-9700.

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