It’s no surprise that almost half of all supplement users taking fish oil are tired of fishy aftertaste. Now there is an even BETTER Omega-3 source that addresses those concerns. Amazingly, Chia seeds may contain MORE ALA Omega-3 than any other source on the planet—surpassing fish oil! CHIA OMEGA® is the pioneering product line that stands out by combining Chia Seed Oil with synergistic ingredients for specific health goals. Providing support for cardiovascular health and healthy cognition PLUS additional benefits, CHIA OMEGA® is the plant-based alternative people are searching for!*

1. No more fishy "burpback"
2. 100% Vegan
3. Eco friendly & sustainable
4. Made in the U.S.A
5. More Omega-3 than fish or flax oil!

CHIA OMEGA + D3 is one of the first products to combine cold-pressed Chia seed oil with highly bioavailable D3. Known to support both bone health and balanced mood, D3 is a synergistic addition to our Omega-3s, which also support joint comfort and mental cognition.*

• Promote healthy absorption of dietary calcium*
• Support a healthy immune system*
• Maintain balanced mood*
• Vegetarian product

Dallas-based Essential Formulas Incorporated (EFI) was established in 2000 as the sole U.S. distributor of world-renowned microbiologist Dr. Iichiroh Ohhira's award-winning probiotic dietary supplements and skin care products. A family-owned and operated business, EFI was founded on the philosophy of providing high-quality preventative, supportive and comprehensive pro-health products for the entire family. Pledging to provide premium all natural supplements and exceptional customer care, EFI continually strives to lead the industry in customer and retailer education in the use and efficacy of their innovative products, which include Dr. Ohhira's Probiotic, Dr. Ohhira's Propolis PLUS, Dr. Ohhira's Essential Living Oils (Vegan Certified), Dr. Ohhira's Probiotic Kampuku Beauty Bar and Magoroku Skin Lotion and the newly introduced CHIA OMEGA line of Omega-3 formulations. Both Dr. Ohhira's Probiotic formulations OMEGA CHIA dietary supplements are available at Peach Tree Natural Foods, Willner's Chemist, Apple Health Foods, Lassen's Natural Market, My Natural Market, and other fine health food stores across the country. For more information, visit: www.essentialformulas.com, or call 972.255.3918.

• Sesame seeds and toasted sesame seed oil
• Fatty fish and fish oil SPOILER ALERT: Insulin is the one hormone that you have THE most control over of all. It is controlled primarily by what you put in your mouth. All foods trigger a hormonal response. Carbs and most simple sugars stimulate secretion of the hormone insulin while protein produces the hormone glucagon and essential Smart Fats provide the building blocks of the tissue-like hormones we have already met before—the prostaglandins.

Insulin is the key hormone that controls our blood sugar levels after we consume all types of carbs—from grains, starchy root vegetables and sugar, itself. What was most shocking to me is that two slices of whole wheat bread, high in Amylopectin A (a sugar-spiking carb), can raise blood sugar levels higher than most candy bars! Insulin levels can also skyrocket with excessive intake of sugar, alcohol, and caffeine.

Insulin metabolizes blood sugar so that muscle tissue can use it for fuel. It also helps store excess blood sugar in the liver and tissues as glycogen or in our bodies as fat. So, excess production of insulin can result in too much blood sugar being stored as fat, interfering with weight loss efforts. That is why a balanced diet of protein and carbohydrates in the form of glycemic carbohydrates (veggies, some starchy veggies, and limited fruits) alongside the Smart Fats is so important. The Smart Fats are the body’s best blood sugar stabilizer with protein coming in second.

Meals that are not properly balanced with blood sugar stabilizing Smart Fat and protein will raise insulin, thereby triggering fat storage. When insulin receptors are blocked or are already saturated, insulin resistance occurs giving rise to metabolic syndrome and contributing to high blood sugar and high triglycerides.

Why Fruit Makes You Fat
Speaking of sugar (even natural sources), did you know that fruits could make you fat? Years ago we used to think fructose was the sweetener of choice because it did not raise insulin-like so many other sugars.

What we have since learned, however, is that fructose is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream. It creates a more level blood sugar than plain glucose from simple sugars. Fructose has a delayed response. While it doesn’t raise insulin, it goes right to the liver, the only organ that can metabolize it, which then turns it into triglycerides (a form of fat), which can ultimately end up around your tummy and “love handles.” High triglyceride levels are associated with heart disease, especially in women.

So fruits, which all contain some degree of fructose—but especially high fructose ones like raisins, figs, dates, prunes, peaches, grapes, apricots, apples, and pears—need to be kept to a bare minimum or eliminated from your diet completely.

Furthermore, today’s fruits are hybridized sugar bombs. Yesteryear’s apples, for instance, only contained somewhere around two grams of fructose. Today, thanks to modern agricultural practices and genetic engineering, these “Frankenfruits” now contain up to 30 times as much fructose as fruits in the past. That’s why an apple TODAY may no longer keep the doctor away.

The takeaway here is that regardless of whether you are overweight or underweight, your insulin balance can easily become out of whack. That’s why is it so important to consume Smart Fats AND protein because both of these macronutrients act as blood sugar stabilizing agents, keeping blood sugar at an even keel.

Sesame Smooths Out Insulin Spikes
Sesame contains an amazing amount of antioxidants—like sesamol, sesamin, and sesamolin—which keep the oil stable, despite its high linoleic acid omega-6 content. Coupled with a high vitamin E content, this unique antioxidant system also aids cellular sensitivity to insulin. This makes the inimitable sesame oil a wonderful seasoning agent and cooking oil for blood sugar regulation.

Used in conjunction with insulin-regulating fatty fish and fish oil, sesame oil can help you finally lose your stubborn belly fat (a major tip-off that you are heading into insulin resistance). Abdominal fat is well recognized as a sign of metabolic syndrome and other health-based problems.

Fish Oil Increases Insulin Sensitivity
Several studies have shown that fish oil supplements can minimize the risk that your food will be stored as fat. Omega-3 oils increase insulin sensitivity. This is critical to weight loss, as the more sensitive your cells are to insulin, the less likely it is that your insulin levels will get too high and trigger fat to go into deep storage in your abdomen. Making sure the cells of your body are sensitive to insulin is a well-established key to losing weight and staying healthy.

If weight gain, cravings for sugar, frequent and intense hunger, difficulty concentrating, feeling anxious or panicky, lacking focus or motivation, and fatigue are your major symptoms, then it is time to clean up insulin.

Glucagon
The protein-promoting hormone glucagon works in opposition to insulin. What insulin puts away in storage, glucagon puts back into use. The two hormones do not conflict with one another in the bloodstream, because when the insulin level is high, the glucagon level is low and vice-versa. When your blood sugar drops, the pancreas secretes glucagon. It is believed that both protein-rich foods (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, tofu) and exercise induce this process. Glucagon causes the stored sugar glycogen to be released back into the bloodstream to restore a balanced blood sugar level. In addition to releasing glycogen, glucagon releases fat from adipose tissue. This fat is then burned as fuel—just what you want!

Prostaglandins
Smart Fats provide the essential fatty acids that convert into powerful prostaglandins. Similar to the different types of cholesterol, prostaglandins can be divided into the “good” and “bad” categories. While our bodies really need both to be healthy, the most important thing is that both categories should be in balance.

From the Eat Fat Lose Weight perspective, the “bad” prostaglandins tend to increase with high insulin that is fueled by high carb intake. This results in weakened immunity, increased triglycerides, blood clots, constriction of blood vessels and increased pain. That’s why omega-3 rich fish and/or fish oil are so highly recommended. They provide the natural anti-inflammatory, immunity-strengthening and cholesterol-lowering power of Smart Fats that trigger the “good” prostaglandins.

1. Sprinkle sesame seeds on salads and stir-frys. Drizzle the oil on veggies and grilled fish. When you do use sesame seeds, buy them unhulled to retain high levels of calcium. Soak the seeds overnight and toast them to remove oxalic acid, which binds to the calcium rendering it bio-unavailable. Drizzle toasted sesame oil on cooked foods and raw veggies. The oil helps to curb the output of insulin to halt fat storage and prevent uncontrolled blood sugar swings that result in cravings and chronic fatigue.
2. Take omega-3 fish oil every day. Eat fatty fish at least twice per week. Aim for 1,000 to 4,000 mg daily.
3. Count your carbs. If you are already insulin resistant then keep carbs somewhere between 20 to 50 grams per day, according to your individual needs. Lowering your carb intake helps to lower your insulin levels, enabling your own body fat to be burned as fuel.
4. Supplement with chromium—a key mineral for blood sugar regulation. It is commonly deficient in our diet unless you live on beer and pepper (the highest sources of this trace mineral).
5. Get the sugar out! This means limiting all sources of natural sugars from fruit, especially fructose. That’s why two servings of fruit per day is my recommendation. Even natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, and brown rice syrup can play havoc with blood sugar. Experiment with different types of stevia and sugar alcohols like xylitol (from birch), erythritol from non-GMO fermented corn and Lakanto, a mixture of monk fruit and erythritol.
   
   I also like the amino acid glycine. Then, there’s D-ribose—a type of sweet “essential carbohydrate,” which feeds muscles and provides energy. Many of these sweet substitutes are ideal for people with metabolic syndrome or insulin resistance. They are highly recommended for prediabetics or full-blown type 2 diabetics. Use these to sweeten your tea or in cooking— wherever you used to use the white, pink or yellow stuff. If you are extremely sensitive to sugar, even these alternatives can induce cravings, so a little goes a long way.





6. Berries are better. Blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, and wild blueberries are low in fructose, high in fiber and chock full of a type of antioxidant known as polyphenols which help break down fat and interfere with the production of new fat cells.
7. Drink filtered water with apple cider vinegar. As I wrote in my Fat Flush Plan, studies have found that taking about two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in water before any meal significantly reduces blood glucose levels by dramatically slowing down carbohydrate digestion. In fact, apple cider vinegar would work great as a prescription for fixing your blood sugar regulator. It is a powerful cleansing and healing elixir that is a naturally occurring antibiotic and antiseptic, which fights germs and bacteria. Do “drink your apple a day the vinegar way” to give you a healthier, stronger, longer life.
8. To increase insulin sensitivity, do some strength training. Work out with weights at least two to three times per week for at least 30 minutes.
9. Reach for organic almonds instead of an apple. Be aware of how much fruit (particularly high fructose fruit) you are ingesting on a daily basis, especially if you are doing everything right AND still can’t lose weight. Let’s not forget that high fructose corn syrup is linked to a nonalcoholic fatty liver condition.

Take-Aways Before Moving On...
Learning how to navigate stress will probably be a lifetime adventure. With the help of supportive friends and family, adequate exercise, regular sleep, and the Smart Fats in your permanent lifestyle plan, you stand a much better chance of coping with stress so much more healthfully. Successful stress management will also put you in the best place to overcome the hunger hormones, which impact appetite. All of that is what’s up next.

Today, most people know that the omega-3 fatty acids, such as are found in cold-water fish, are good for us. In fact, these are among the “stars players” of health supplements. The omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have been widely studied in connection with cardiovascular, joint, immune and brain health. Numerous scientific findings have demonstrated that omega-3 fatty acids are important for a healthy inflammatory response. In fact, research on omega-3s is so compelling that the FDA has granted a qualified health claim to the effect that consuming omega-3s reduces the risk of heart disease. For more than a decade, many of the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids have been largely beyond reasonable doubt. This year, that certainty has been called into question.

Publications from early 2015 challenge, or at least appear to challenge, two of the most important assertions often made for omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. These are the assertion that fish oils are valuable assets in reducing key components of cardiovascular disease and the assertion that these oils are useful supplements for preventing cognitive decline. The first shoe fell on March 31 with the publication in the New York Times of the essay, “Fading claims on fish oils.” This article was quite direct in judging that “no evidence that fish oil lowers risk for heart attack or stroke” has been found according to the majority of clinical trials that have been conducted on the topic.

The second shoe fell on August 26 in the form of a Newsweek article entitled “Omega-3 Supplements Are a Waste of Money.” The basis of this judgment was a medical study published in August 2015 in which the authors Chew et al. concluded, “oral supplementation with LCPUFAs (long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) … had no statistically significant effect on cognitive function.” 1 The same research group the previous year, based on the same trial design and data, had concluded that omega-3 supplementation “did not reduce the risk of CVD in elderly participants with age-related macular degeneration.” 2 This study, dubbed AREDS2, was a large double-blinded randomized study involving more than 4,000 subjects in its overall design and lasting approximately five years. On the surface, the results appear to be definitive. As often is the case, however, appearances can be deceiving.

The latest studies are not always the best or the most definitive studies despite the breathless hype so often found in the popular press. As usual, the devil is in the details with both of the negative judgments in the above paragraphs. The following sections provide a bit of guidance for the perplexed.

Omega-3s versus Cardiovascular Disease

In evaluating the findings of clinical trials, it is necessary to consider a range of questions regarding the basis and the aims of the trials in question. For instance, was a given trial performed in the right subject population to support its conclusions? The AREDS2 study mentioned above for its CVD conclusions used a population of participants who were “primarily white, married, and highly educated, with a median age at baseline of 74 years” that included “participants with stable, existing CVD (>12 months since initial event)” to determine a “composite outcome of myocardial infarction, stroke, and cardiovascular death…” “Approximately 19% had a history of CVD; 44% reported taking a statin medication; and 14% reported taking any type of medication for congestive heart failure, CVD, or cerebrovascular disease.” Several issues should be flagged immediately with this study population.

First, it was a group that might be expected to already have adopted dietary changes, such as eating fish two or more times per week and preferring olive oil for cooking and salads, that would have reduced the impact of supplementation with additional omega-3 oils. The average American may eat a diet highly unbalanced in the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids, high in saturated fats and low in magnesium, low in vegetables and fiber, etc., but the study population would have been much less likely to be following the standard American diet. Did the researchers check? Not as far as I could tell from reading the methods section. My suspicion is that a substantial percentage of the subjects already were consuming considerable omega-3 fatty acids in their diets and already had adopted a more healthful ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids than is true of most Americans.

Second, 44 percent of the study group already was taking a statin medication and 14 percent (whether overlapping the statin takers is not indicated, but the implication is “not”) were taking other CVD medications. In other words, this was not a medically “naïve,” i.e., pharmaceutically untreated, starting population. The researchers in AREDS2 did try to control for some of these issues (see Figure 3 in the study), yet their data in this regard are a bit odd. Despite the non-significance of the statistics regarding the number of cardiac events between omega-3 and non-omega-3 arms with regard to, say, statin use, there were statistically significant differences between the arms involving hypertension history (a proven benefit of omega-3 supplementation, P = 0.02) and cardiovascular disease history (P = 0.04) implying a medical treatment effect not captured in the write-up. The authors, by the way, do admit the data that I mention imply potential benefit from omega-3 supplementation, but then try to explain this away without pursuing the implications regarding their collected data and its reliability regarding the impact of medications and lifestyle changes.

Another issue involves the endpoints selected for evaluating the outcome of a study. Surely, the meta-analyses have been conducted to evaluate the quite massive volume of clinical research, which has been performed with omega-3 fatty acids. This research consistently has found that fish oil consumption reduces cardiac death risk between approximately 10 and 30 percent with a low of nine percent and a high of 35 percent.³ These figures surely are not bad for a simple and safe dietary supplement!

With regard to other important CVD risk factors, omega- 3s have been found to consistently perform well. Omega-3 supplementation reduced blood pressure in studies in the general population approximately 4.5 mm Hg, which similar to lifestyle changes, including reduced intake of dietary sodium, increased physical activity and a reduction in excessive alcohol consumption. High fasting triglycerides were reduced by 30– 40 percent, yet another healthful change.⁴

Again, it must be remembered that study populations are important for outcomes. If one focuses on populations with advanced cardiovascular disease, this will be quite misleading with regard to the benefits of taking a nutrient, in this case, omega-3 fatty acids, over a significant period of time starting before the disease has manifested. This, of course, is precisely the role of supplements as opposed to drugs. The New York Times article applied the wrong model and created a controversy by doing so.

Omega-3s and Cognition

Let’s return to the citation above in which Chew et al. concluded, “oral supplementation with LCPUFAs (long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids) … had no statistically significant effect on cognitive function.” The authors actually state in another spot, “Contrary to popular belief, we didn’t see any benefit of omega-3 supplements for stopping cognitive decline.”

The study by Chew et al. refers to its experimental supplementation as a “high dose,” yet the truth is that only 350 mg of the dose was DHA and the other 650 mg was EPA. This matters because these two omega-3 fatty acids do different things. To combat depression, which the AREDS2 study did not examine, EPA is the more significant nutrient. Trials using a mixture of the two mostly have been successful.⁵ Nevertheless, in a face-off of the two omega-3 fatty acids, EPA is the stronger anti-inflammatory in the brain and may deliver better results against depression.⁶

For cognition, the reverse is true: DHA outperforms EPA. This should not come as a surprise given that DHA plays a major structural role in brain cellular membranes and in the neurologic system more generally. In a study of 22 healthy adults, 12 weeks of daily dietary supplementation with either 1 g DHA-rich or 1 g EPA-rich fish oil (FO) or placebo (1 g olive oil) were assessed with the result being that DHA consumption leads to greater blood flow and activity in the prefrontal cortex during cognitive tests than does EPA.⁷ In older adults, episodic memory outcomes in adults with mild memory complaints are improved with the intake of greater than 1 gram DHA/EPA per day.⁸ In other words, the study by Chew et al., focused on the wrong omega-3 fatty acid to better influence cognition and was below an accepted threshold for the dosage for some aspects of cognition and memory.

To be fair to Chew et al., their trial was designed before papers became available that demonstrated that higher dosages of DHA and/or DHA/EPA improved cognition and memory, whereas lower dosages did not. A clarifying discussion of the issues involved has been published under the title “Omega-3s and Cognition: Dosage Matters.”⁹ For those interested in pursuing this issue further, a table of relevant papers can be downloaded from http://goedomega3.com/files/download/334/memory-and-cognitive-functionpapers-table.pdf.

Conclusion
The misleading conclusions of the New York Times article on fish oils and cardiovascular disease and the Newsweek article on DHA and cognition are cautionary tales regarding the interpretation of studies. In reality, adequate intakes of omega-3 fatty acids reduce CVD mortality by 10 to 30 percent, although supplementation may not deliver this same degree of benefit in populations already suffering from active CVD, already taking numerous medications or already having adopted appropriate diet and lifestyle modifications. Similarly, DHA supplementation significantly improves some aspects of cognition and memory, but only at intake levels above 1 gram per day in older individuals. Younger adults may benefit from 1 gram mixed DHA/EPA with the proviso still in place that for this purpose DHA is more active than is EPA whereas for depression, the opposite is true.

Endnotes:

1. 1. Chew EY, Clemons TE, Agron E, Launer LJ, Grodstein F, Bernstein PS; Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) Research Group. Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Lutein/Zeaxanthin, or Other Nutrient Supplementation on Cognitive Function: The AREDS2 Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2015 Aug 25;314(8):791.801.
2. 2. Writing Group for the AREDS2 Research Group, Bonds DE, Harrington M, Worrall BB, Bertoni AG, Eaton CB, Hsia J, Robinson J, Clemons TE, Fine LJ, Chew EY. Effect of long-chain ƒÖ-3 fatty acids and lutein + zeaxanthin supplements on cardiovascular outcomes: results of the Age-Related Eye Disease Study 2 (AREDS2) randomized clinical trial. JAMA Intern Med. 2014 May;174(5):763.71.
3. 3. Ismail A. The real story of omega-3s in heart health. April 3, 2015. http://goedomega3.com/index.php/blog/2015/04/the-realstory-of-omega-3s-in-heart-health
4. 4. Ibid.
5. 5. Yang JR, Han D, Qiao ZX, Tian X, Qi D, Qiu XH. Combined application of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid on depression in women: a meta-analysis of double-blind randomized controlled trials. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2015 Aug 10;11:2055.61.
6. 6. Martins JG. EPA but not DHA appears to be responsible for the efficacy of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in depression: evidence from a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Oct;28(5):525.42.
7. 7. Jackson PA, Reay JL, Scholey AB, Kennedy DO. DHA-rich oil modulates the cerebral haemodynamic response to cognitive tasks in healthy young adults: a near IR spectroscopy pilot study. Br J Nutr. 2012 Apr;107(8):1093.8.
8. 8. Yurko-Mauro K, Alexander DD, Van Elswyk ME. Docosahexaenoic acid and adult memory: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2015 Mar 18;10(3):e0120391.
9. 9. Ismail A. Omega-3s and Cognition: Dosage Matters. August 31, 2015. http://goedomega3.com/index.php/blog/2015/08/omega-3s-and-cognition-dosage-matter