We’ve Been Taking Fish Oil Wrong, and You Have Too – T Nation Content – COMMUNITY

How to Get All the Benefits

Fish oil has loads of health benefits, but you’ve probably been missing out on a few of them by making this one mistake.

Most people have been screwing up the way they use fish oil. It seems that you need to ingest fish oil with a fat-rich meal for fish oil to do all of its pro-cardiovascular, anti-inflammatory, body-composition-improving things.

The Studies

One study showed “no significant benefits” of omega-3 fatty acids when ingested with a relatively low-fat breakfast meal.

Another study found that the absorption of DHA and EPA, the predominant omega-3 fatty acids crucial to human health, was three times higher when volunteers ingested them with a fat-rich meal (44 grams of fat) than when co-ingested with a low-fat meal (8 grams of fat). And yet another found plasma concentrations of DHA and EPA were five times higher when administered with a high-fat meal than with a low-fat meal.

The Solution

Dinner, typically, is the fattiest meal of the day. It’s when we usually eat the bulk of our meats (the leanest of which is still pretty fatty) and the majority of our olive oils or other cooking oils. It’s then that we should be taking fish oil capsules. And as a bonus, taking fish oil in the evening helps tamp down stress and excessive cortisol.

Ideally, choose a brand with more DHA than EPA, like Biotest Flameout (Buy at Amazon). Flameout is also highly concentrated, meaning you don’t have to take as many capsules to get a pharmaceutical-level effect.

Reference

1. Li J et al. Health benefits of docahexaenoic acid and its bioavailability: A review. Food Sci Nutr. 2021 Jul 23;9(9):5229-5243. PubMed.

I guess have one question, has the bioavailability for DHA and EPA been tested when taken with micellular caseine? Would that matter with the new microemulsion of Flameout?

Does this change any recommendations as far as the Velocity Diet?

For example, instead of 1 per shake, take 4-5 with the solid meal?

(I currently view the fish oil as a “food/fat source” rather than a supplement on the V-diet, but perhaps that should change.)

That’s a better idea, but you only need 3 capsules if using the new Flameout.

Also, the solid meal part of the V-Diet probably happens in the evening for most folks, and taking fish oil later in the day helps tamp down cortisol and stress, helping you gear down for the night. (More info on that.)

Legit, I wonder: why do we call it fish oil and not fish fat? Plants have oils: animals have fats, but for some reason, with fish, we’ve always called it oil.

I am a big fan of Flameout. One of those supplements that you can feel the effects of almost immediately once you start implementing it.

And I especially appreciate it for the insulin sensitivity promoting value is holds, as was expressed here