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Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

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Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#21

Is there any actual clear link between dietary DHA and serum DHA? I’m guessing no. Humans survive on quite a wide range of dietary fat sources and composition. I stopped supplementing with fish oil after realizing there’s lots of “science” and few facts.

Yes, there is. I have had mine tested as I altered my diet to include more fish roe, fish liver, and fatty fish. I took my omega6:omega3 ratio from 3.5:1 to 1.5:1 in ~3 months.

Total O3: 10.2% -> 16.5%

DPA: 1.2% -> 3.2%

EPA: 3.4% -> 4.3%

DHA: 5.4% -> 9.2%

I don't have a "before" on the standard american diet, but IIRC the average american has an omega6:3 ratio of about 15-20:1.

Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fish is not the only source of DHA. Walnuts, acai berry and flaxseeds are also good sources.

They aren't. In order to overcome the omega-6 metabolic preference, you need to consume, at a minimum twice as much omega-3 oils as omega-6, but actually closer to 4x. Twice as much omega-3 means eliminating olive oil, soy, most nuts, and many other foods. Or, alternatively, downing a pint or so of flax seed every day.

Everything you said is true except I can't see how fish helps in this case. You still need to eat a lot of fish (especially since most fish are very low fat, salmon is a good choice) and cut Omega 6 sources, if you want to make Omega 3:Omega 6 ratio 2:1.

Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#24

The paper is open access, so the full text is available sans paywall. :) Worth checking out if for no other reason than to appreciate the figures! https://www.fasebj.org/doi/10.1096/fj.201801412R

If APOE4 combined with reduced DHA impairs glucose transport into the brain, would increasing blood ketone levels help sidestep this issue (along with increasing dietary DHA of course)?

Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#25
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There has to be, since humans can't make it themselves. (Assuming that's true.)

They can. > This finding suggests that when animal foods are wholly excluded from the diet, the endogenous production of EPA and DHA results in low but stable plasma concentrations of these fatty acids. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16087975

And yet in the article,

> Unfortunately, the body cannot produce DHA on its own, and it must be acquired through the diet.

So is Rhonda waaaaay behind the times re: that 14-year old paper? Or are the levels described in that paper negligible? Or did I misinterpret something, or what?

Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#26

Is there any actual clear link between dietary DHA and serum DHA? I’m guessing no. Humans survive on quite a wide range of dietary fat sources and composition. I stopped supplementing with fish oil after realizing there’s lots of “science” and few facts.

Yes, there is. I have had mine tested as I altered my diet to include more fish roe, fish liver, and fatty fish. I took my omega6:omega3 ratio from 3.5:1 to 1.5:1 in ~3 months. Total O3: 10.2% -> 16.5% DPA: 1.2% -> 3.2% EPA: 3.4% -> 4.3% DHA: 5.4% -> 9.2% I don't have a "before" on the standard american diet, but IIRC the average american has an omega6:3 ratio of about 15-20:1.

Serum levels could mean your body has more DHA than it needs, without an established level at which some kind of deficiency develops.

I’m not trying to prove a point except this: People who have no regard to dietary DHA and consume no fish don’t exhibit any of the problems claimed in articles and by nutritionists. I’ve been vegan for 20 years for example and my skin is fine, I don’t supplement DHA, I don’t have dementia or other health problems.

This contrasts pretty strongly with homocysteine/B12 deficiency or iron deficiency. There’s no good evidence that a clinical syndrome of DHA deficiency even exists. Whenever I dig into studies serum levels are all over the place.

There’s quite a lot to be suspect of here. The conclusions drawn from our limited understanding of fatty acid metabolism just doesn’t match reality.

Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, there is. I have had mine tested as I altered my diet to include more fish roe, fish liver, and fatty fish. I took my omega6:omega3 ratio from 3.5:1 to 1.5:1 in ~3 months. Total O3: 10.2% -> 16.5% DPA: 1.2% -> 3.2% EPA: 3.4% -> 4.3% DHA: 5.4% -> 9.2% I don't have a "before" on the standard american diet, but IIRC the average american has an omega6:3 ratio of about 15-20:1.

Serum levels could mean your body has more DHA than it needs, without an established level at which some kind of deficiency develops. I’m not trying to prove a point except this: People who have no regard to dietary DHA and consume no fish don’t exhibit any of the problems claimed in articles and by nutritionists. I’ve been vegan for 20 years for example and my skin is fine, I don’t supplement DHA, I don’t have demen…

FWIW, these were not serum levels, this was RBC (red blood cell).

Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#28
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only good vegetable source of DHA is some types of algae. The foods you listed contain alpha-linolenic acid, which the human body can convert to EPA and then to DHA, but this is an inefficient process and might not always meet the full requirements for those longer chain omega-3 fatty acids. See: https://rnd.edpsciences.org/articles/rnd/pdf/2005/05/r5505.p...

More bluntly, ALA supplementation doesn't work: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19269799?dopt=Abstract

Walnuts also have a lot of Omega 6 which will lessen the conversion of Omega 3 into useable forms.

Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#29

The paper is open access, so the full text is available sans paywall. :) Worth checking out if for no other reason than to appreciate the figures! https://www.fasebj.org/doi/10.1096/fj.201801412R

How do you think algal oil would work out? Also, are you interested in studying groups of peoples and cultures and determining if e.g. somebody who's lived a life on the Mediterranean diet is better adapted to this kind of uptake and if that's reflective of a decline in AD for that group? Or maybe even just better overall mental health?

Re: Dr. Rhonda Patrick on DHA in Phospholipid Form and the Prevention of Alzheimers

#30

Is there any actual clear link between dietary DHA and serum DHA? I’m guessing no. Humans survive on quite a wide range of dietary fat sources and composition. I stopped supplementing with fish oil after realizing there’s lots of “science” and few facts.

Yes, there is. I have had mine tested as I altered my diet to include more fish roe, fish liver, and fatty fish. I took my omega6:omega3 ratio from 3.5:1 to 1.5:1 in ~3 months. Total O3: 10.2% -> 16.5% DPA: 1.2% -> 3.2% EPA: 3.4% -> 4.3% DHA: 5.4% -> 9.2% I don't have a "before" on the standard american diet, but IIRC the average american has an omega6:3 ratio of about 15-20:1.

> I have had mine tested as I altered my diet...

How/where did you get tested?

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