The New King of Omega-3s

Fish Oil for Smart People

One type of omega-3 fatty acid is nice to have, but the other type is the real health powerhouse. Here's the science.

DHA and EPA, the omega-3s found in fish oil, have hundreds of health benefits. They're best known for their ability to extinguish the flames of chronic inflammation – the type at the root of almost every disease, including heart disease and cancer. EPA and DHA reduce the production of molecules like cytokines and inflammatory eicosanoids linked to chronic inflammation.

We always thought these two omega-3s acted as a tag team because they pummel offensive molecules into submission and shut down multiple inflammatory pathways. As it turns out, DHA is the real king of the ring.

Recent research shows that DHA plays a starring role in preventing or slowing Alzheimer's, shoring up male sexual health, preventing heart arrhythmias, lowering diastolic blood pressure, and increasing lifespan in general.

Now, more research shows DHA is the true anti-inflammation star of the fatty-acid duo.

The Study

A 34-week double-blind trial involving 21 subjects compared the effects of DHA and EPA and found the following:

  • DHA lowered the genetic expression of four types of pro-inflammatory proteins. EPA only lowered one type.
  • DHA lowered white blood cell secretion of three types of pro-inflammatory proteins. EPA only lowered one.
  • DHA lowered levels of an anti-inflammatory protein. EPA didn't.

One researcher remarked: "These results suggest that DHA is the more powerful of the two."

That doesn't mean that EPA isn't important. The lead researcher noted that EPA helps the body maintain a balance between pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory proteins. It's important, just not the star of the show.

What to Take

Most fish oils contain more EPA than DHA because of tradition and, well, that's what you find in whole fish. Most companies cook raw fish with steam and then centrifuge it to separate it into fat-free dry solids and liquid (water and oil). This "press liquor" is then further processed to separate the two. Basically, they just squeeze the heck out of the fish and put the oil into capsules. You get the EPA/DHA ratio the fish had.

This isn't true of Biotest's Flameout DHA-Rich Fish Oil (Buy at Amazon). Instead of using that method, Biotest uses a process where the individual bioactive fatty acids are separated from the fish oil, further purified, emulsified, molecularly distilled, and then measured out in very specific ratios to achieve the exact DHA/EPA ratio you need – one that has a lot more DHA.

Take a look at the DHA/EPA content in a three-softgel serving of Flameout:

  • Total free fatty acids: 4200 mg.
  • DHA: 2000 mg.
  • EPA: 400 mg.

Compare that with any formulation on the market and you'll see that none come close in total omega-3 fatty acids, purity, and DHA content.

In fact, we investigated a best-selling fish oil supplement on Amazon, a product that's sold over 20,000 units in the last month. It contains the following in a two-capsule serving:

  • Total free fatty acids: 720 mg.
  • DHA: 240 mg.
  • EPA: 360 mg.

Yes, it's less expensive than Flameout (Buy at Amazon), but you'd have to take 17 capsules a day to get enough DHA to reap its health benefits. What can we say? Most people don't read labels and, if they do, they really don't know what they're looking for.

Flameout is the fish oil made for supplement connoisseurs who keep up with the science and know their stuff.

Buy Flameout at Amazon

Reference

  1. Jisun So et al. "EPA and DHA differentially modulate monocyte inflammatory response in subjects with chronic inflammation in part via plasma specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators: A randomized, double-blind, crossover study." Atherosclerosis. December 7, 2020.
1 Like

From where is your fish oil sourced (not merely assembled or manufactured)?

Also, how does Krill or seaweed, etc. nutritionally compare to high DHA fish oil?

Regards