Lessons From The Godfather of Omega 3

You may have heard me talk or write about something called the Lands Ratio. It is the ratio of inflammatory omega 6 fats to anti-inflammatory omega 3 fats in your blood. It was pioneered by Dr. Bill Lands, the man most omega 3 researchers quietly think of as the godfather of the field.

A few years after our book The Immortality Edge came out, I got hold of Dr. Lands’ book Fish, Omega-3 and Human Health. I thought I knew a fair amount about omega 3s. The book taught me a lot more. I asked Bill if he would let me interview him for my next book. He said yes and answered every question I sent.

Here is some of what I took away from those conversations.

1. Employer-paid health data has documented an average $3,000 a year in lower health care costs for employees taking fish oil. Just from taking fish oil.
2. Lowering your cholesterol does not, on its own, lower your risk of dying from heart disease. Heart disease is an inflammatory process. Fish oil reduces inflammation when taken in sufficient doses. The cardiology trials that have shown no benefit largely used 1 to 2 capsules a day. That dose will not move the Lands Ratio. Garbage dose in, garbage signal out.
3. Populations that eat more fish and run higher omega 3 levels have far less heart disease than Americans, even when their cholesterol is higher. The Japanese and the Inuit are the standing examples.
4. In one comparative analysis, fish oil prevented cardiac death better than statins, cholesterol binding resins, dietary intervention, and niacin. Fish oil performed best.
5. Diet counseling alone barely moves heart disease risk. You can move the Lands Ratio favorably by cutting processed foods, especially anything cooked in industrial vegetable oils.

Even the man himself supplements

I asked Bill whether he relied on diet alone. He laughed and said, “Oh no, I do take supplements. I like to eat like everyone else.” He is well into his eighties and still arguing the omega 3 case. Given the size of the category now, he has clearly won the argument.

What to do about it

Test your omega 3 index if you have not. Get it above 8%. Most Americans run between 4 and 6%. Two to four grams of EPA plus DHA per day will move the number for most people in three to four months. Look for a fish oil that lists the actual EPA and DHA per capsule, not the total “fish oil” milligrams, which is a marketing number.

Dr. Dave