Scientist reacts to Miley Cyrus on Joe Rogan | Omega 3

Omega 3 fatty acids came up during Miley Cyrus' Joe Rogan appearance. A look at Omega 3 and vegan diets, best sources of Omega 3 and short vs long-chain forms of Omega 3 fats.

Miley Cyrus' comments on omega3 fats on joe rogan ruffled a lot of feathers. She refers to long-chain omega 3 fatty acids. ALA is an omega 3 fat, our body can take ALA and stretch it and make longer fats like EPA and DHA. So when people talk about fish and omega 3s, they’re usually referring to the long-chain omega 3s, EPA and DHA

Some studies show improved cognitive function with EPA/DHA omega 3 supplementation and others show no effect so it’s not completely clear, it may be context specific or only in certain people. Anyone worried about omega 3 levels can measure them.

Protein is not limiting on a vegan diet. Ethical vegans and people who go vegan for weight loss often remove the meat and dairy and just eat a small salad. so 1st suspicion is Calories. Not omegas. Doesn’t mean omegas couldn’t be an issue theoretically.

There is legitimate variation in elongation of omega3 fatty acids, from ALA to the long chain forms. Maybe ancestral humans who ate fish are worse converters and vice versa.

Eating a lot of saturated fat, trans fats, ratio of omega6s to omega3s, all influence elongation. Smoking also. Also it adapts to need. The less of the long form omega 3s you eat the more gets produced.

If she was she getting her ALAs and her long omega 3s EPA/DHA were still low, she could be a weak converter and maybe benefit from a dietary source of long chain omega 3s. Celery is not a good source of ALAs.

Common idea: avocado for the healthy fats. It has monounsaturated and omega6s but not omega 3s. Avocados are not good sources of omega 3s

1 avocado: 0.17g ALA; tbsp ground flaxseeds: 1.6g. You can get ALA from flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds. Avocado is not in the same league.

1 avocado=170mg ALA, 26mg/oz
Flaxseed=1.6g/ground tbspoon (7g). 6.4gALA/oz
Walnuts=2.5g/oz
Chia seeds=6g/oz

So she’s right, there’s only so much avocado you can eat and It’s hard to get some fats from there. That’s not where we get your omega3s.
So maybe she just wasn’t getting enough ALAs in the 1st place.

Dietary sources of long chain omega 3: if you want to get a direct source of long-chain omega 3s, EPA/DHA, 1) fish, 2) fish oil, 3) algae supplements 4) fortified foods with DHA

algae don’t come with heavy metals and other marine pollutants. Other than that all sources are effective. Fish oil vs algae supplements: algae were at least as effective. Authors claim a bigger effect of the algae but what's clear is it’s at least as good as the fish oil. Algae supplements vs salmon: same bioavailability for long omega 3 forms. So they all appear equivalent for bioavailability.

In farmed fish, omega 3s often come from supplements. Fish aren’t fed algae so they're given omega 3 supplements to make up for it. So the food people associate with omega 3 needs to get an omega 3 supplement...

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References:
Omega 3s and cognitive function:
https://academic.oup.com/cercor/artic...
https://www.cochrane.org/CD005379/DEM...
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/...
Omega 3 kit: https://www.algaecal.com/product/omeg...
factors affecting elongation: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/...
algae oil vs fish oil: www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1756464614002229
algae oil vs fish: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18589...

Disclaimer: The contents of this video are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, nor to replace medical care. The information presented herein is accurate and conforms to the available scientific evidence to the best of the author's knowledge as of the time of posting. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions regarding any medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of information contained in Nutrition Made Simple!.

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