Don’t Take Omega-3 Until You See This!

A concerning study was published last month of over 400,000 people, showing that those who took Omega-3 supplements had a 13% higher risk of developing an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation.

Here are the links to the research papers referenced in the video:

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[DrBradStanfield]

10 studies referenced in this video, links are in the video's description

[Physionic]

Very interesting - I'll be covering this study tomorrow, myself.

[curtislaketek]

Make sure the oil is not rancid. The studies need to not include rancid oils.

[-SILON]

Oh for God sakes. One week is one thing and one week it's another. Take omega-3, don't take omega-3 I'm done

[helios]

Dr Rhonda Patrick had an expert on fish oil on. Dr Bill Harris was saying fish oil increased your risk for A fib but paradoxically decreased your risks for both stroke and heart attacks (both caused by A Fib)

[pattressel]

One problem with observational studies, as opposed to randomized controlled studies, is that the subjects choosing the "test" option may be doing so to self-treat a condition, and it is that underlying condition that causes the observed differences. An example of this is the claim that diet soda causes obesity. Actual randomized controlled trials show the opposite. What happens in observational studies is that the subjects who are overweight are choosing diet soda because they are trying to lose weight. In the case of omega-3, it may be that the subjects who choose (or are prescribed) to take omega-3 are doing so because they already have cardiovascular problems.

[Total_Body_Fitness_USA]

I saw this in my own patients as a functional medicine practitioner, so I know for a fact there is a correlation with abnormal heart rhythm and taking omega 3 supplements. People who already had PVCs or PACs were more at risk based on my own experience. Now I just recommend taking 1 tablespoon ALA (Flaxseed oil) along with 1-2 tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseed per day and that combination will significantly improve all markers on a Cardio IQ panel from Quest Diagnostics. For example, I have seen low density LDL go from high 400's to the low 100's in just 12 weeks. A pattern B profile going to a highly favorable pattern A. ApoB going from 200's to low 70's, and much more without side effects. Great presentation!

I'm a Clinical Pharmacist and have been commenting on omega 3's and Afib for a while now...always amazed at some guest experts on other channels going on about the benefit's without any mention of the Afib risk.

As I recall, quite a few studies now have shown this association.

Also a Danish observational population study (by European Society of Cardiology, 2013) showed a ' U' shaped curve for association between fish consumption and Afib. i.e very low and high consumption resulting in higher Afib risk compared to moderate consumption which lowered Afib risk.
The lowest risk was found in those who consumed around 0.63g omega 3 per day, which corresponds to around 2 servings of fatty fish per week.

The authors said this was the first time such an association had been shown and it needed to be explored in further studies.

Personally, I think about 2 to 3 servings of oily fish per week might be the best option until we get some definitive answers?

[jeno]

Dr. Brad should emphasize it's a relative risk increase. 13% seems high until you realize it's not even a percentage point, if I remember correctly. He also forgets to mention statins provide a sizeable relative risk reduction but a meager absolute risk change.

[reinhartbigl]

Great information!
I have afib, and cannot take fish oil as it makes my condition worse. I found that Omega 3 from alge does not have the same side effect.

[jmseipp]

Not all Fish Oil supplements are created equal. Many have almost no EPA and DHA. Some may have come from fish with high levels of Mercury. Some are high in DHA and EPA. Some are good quality, some bad. What exactly do all of these studies use? Which Omega 3 supplements? Do they all use the exact same source? Important to know.

[silentrotation]

It's important for vegetarians and vegans to take an EPA and DHA algae supplement, has to have both EPA and DHA. I take one a day of 600mg oil that has 300mg EPA/DHA. Sometimes I take a second capsule but then might feel a bit of nausea. Algae oil does not have any of the toxins that fish oil has such as PCBs and mercury, since it's made in labs while over-fishing is a global problem.
The omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA are very important in the first 1, 000 days of life for brain development, and it's important for the pregnant mother to supplement with it since it's been shown to lower the risk of preterm birth (the leading cause of death in children under 5).
The VITAL study showed one gram a day of omega-3 supplement (460 EPA + 380 DHA = 840mg) lowered total and fatal heart attack risk by 28 percent and 50 percent respectively. An important finding in the study shows that if you do not eat fish then you can still reduce chances of getting a heart attack by 40%.

[jameslong]

Now I guess the better question is, how do algae-based Omega 3 supplements fair in comparison.

[curiouscat]

I'm 70, had random heart palpitations since a teenager. When I started taking a daily cap of icelandic cod liver oil, the palpitations have stopped!

[deborahgardner]

I read an article about this last year sitting in my cardiologist’s office😮 I decided on my own to switch to half the dose of Omega 3 and changed to an algae formula. I believe this has made a difference in my A-Fib and I hardly have palpitations at all now.

[ktxh]

The problem with fish oil supplements is likely mercury contamination, which causes rapid heartrate. Look up the effects of mercury poisioning on the heart.

[Mike-jgfp]

I used to take omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FAs). In fact, my PhD thesis focused on n-3s, and I often recommend them to my patients. However, in 2020, I stopped taking fish oil capsules (containing more than 75% EPA and DHA) after developing irregular heartbeats. The situation was so severe that I feared for my life. Once I stopped taking the n-3 supplements, my condition improved, and all my heart issues disappeared.

A year ago, I tried taking n-3 supplements again, and within two days, my heart started acting up once more. This experience has taught me that one must be very careful with these fatty acids.

[ianorigbo]

Actually I've mentioned this in a few videos about taking omega 3. Taking the supplements is not the same as eating fish. I noticed when I took the supplement I got abnormal heart rhythms, so I stopped taking them.

[livelucky]

This makes a ton of sense to me because throughout my 30s (the last decade) I had multiple bouts of Afib that ended up with me in the ER to get drugs to stop it. They ran me through every cariac test and could find no reason for it. I have taken fish oil for probably 15+ years now, and at some points was taking 3g+ of EPA per

[brianwnc]

What about rancidity of Omega-3 supplements? There is research out indicating that a significant amount of the Omega-3 supplements on the market are partially rancid. Is it possible that omega-3s are completely good but as more consumption of rancid omega-3s goes up, problems develop? There needs to be a study looking at the dosage of Omega-3 is coming primarily from eating fresh fatty fish that is wild caught and not farm-raised. We know that farm-raised fish have a more omega-6s in their oil thus it seems logical that fresh fish that's wild caught will outperform supplements that potentially have rancidity. Did the studies test for rancidity of the omega-3 source? Oxidized omega-3s can covert to trans fats pretty easily