In October 2019 Jeff Nelson and veg source released a fascinating well researched video
discussing the potential harmful effects of taking DHA supplements including algae derived
DHA.
Jeff has thoroughly researched the subject with this video in particular being over an
hour long, packed full of scientific research and I highly recommend you watch his series
and research the topic for yourself.
One of the concerns raised in the video is the connection between omega 3 fatty acids
and prostate cancer, which was extremely worrying.
One of the studies featured in the video came to this conclusion quote “This study confirms
previous reports of increased prostate cancer risk among men with high blood concentrations
of LCω-3PUFA.The consistency of these findings suggests that these fatty acids are involved
in prostate tumorigenesis.
Recommendations to increase LCω-3PUFA intake should consider its potential risks” I have
to be honest I am still researching the subject for myself and I really encourage you to do
the same.
Dr Joel Fuhrman and Dr Michael Greger recommend we take a vegan DHA supplement so I think
it’s important we hear their take on these findings.
The first clip comes from Red Pill Vegan’s interview with Dr Greger I highly recommend
you watch his video in full.
The link is in the description.
The second comes from Dr Fuhrman’s video the need for DHA by vegans linked below.
[Red Pill Vegan] It appears there may be some risk for men with prostate cancer in some
recent research with taking supplemental DHA.
So Dr Michael Klaper recently published a video about that and said he’s going to
stop recommending it I was just curios have you seen that research yet?
[Dr Greger] Hand it over, looking forward to it.
I’m open, always.
[Red Pill Vegan] So currently you’re still saying it’s optional but not necessary for
DHA.
[Dr Greger] I recommend people consider it, I take it myself I recommend people consider
it but if people are randomized to DHA and their prostate cancer gets worse I would stop
recommending it.
[ Red Pill Vegan] So it looks like from the research that I’ve seen, it’s only a small
subset of men and what happens I think is the long chain omega 3 fatty acids saturate
the prostate when taken in a supplemental form.
[Dr Greger] But presumably they’re taking fish oil, that’s how most people take DHA
they don’t take some algae oil.
So you’re saying people taking fish oil have more prostate cancer that’s not a shocker
particularly because you can’t get, you can just get some of the lighter pollutants
to distil off but even distilled, steam distilled fish oil can be packed with pollutants so
that wouldn’t surprise me at all but I’ve got to see the study.
[Red Pill Vegan] If the research is specifically on algae based DHA if there was an increased
risk in prostate cancer would it be enough for you to change your recommendations?
[Dr Greger] Well it depends was it an observational study?
[Red Pill Vegan] I don’t know I haven’t seen it myself.
[Dr Greger] So presumably it was and then you’d worry about two things, confounding
factors and then reverse causation because you can’t prove cause or effect but let’s
check it out!
[Dr Fuhrman] Let’s go on to the idea that taking a low-dose DHA supplement can cause
prostate cancer and that is why we must avoid this, according to Nelson.
This study appears to be how he first convinced Dr Klaper to stop taking or recommending DHA.
First of all, the study in question did not look at DHA intake, fish intake or algae DHA
supplement intake.
They only looked at plasma phospholipid levels of omega-3, not the standard acceptable research
test.
An omega-3 index, because it is a measure taken from red blood cells, is more accurate
and reflective of longer-term DHA status..
Nevertheless, the two blood samples used were not drawn decades before and do not reflect
years of omega-3 levels or intake, just likely how much fish they were eating in the days
or weeks before their blood was drawn.
Keep in your mind that the major finding in this same study was that low levels of trans
fat were associated with more cancer, and the lowest levels were found with more aggressive
cancer.
Trans fat, as you might have heard, is outlawed; it is the most dangerous fat a person can
eat, yet this study showed higher amounts in the blood was protective against aggressive
prostate cancer.
If the results of this study are to be taken seriously, we should be eating margarine and
Crisco oil to protect ourselves from prostate cancer.
Remember, cancer causes accumulate for decades before diagnosis.
The researchers only had two blood draws, and only the first was drawn before the men
knew they had cancer.
The second one, drawn a few years later, may have included men who found out they had cancer
or had at least noted a rising PSA, so they could have modified their diet as a result.
All we know from this study is that men with more advanced or aggressive prostate cancer
ate more fish.
Men noting a rising pre-cancerous PSA or prostate cancer typically try to eat healthier, with
less meat and more fish.
So we don’t really know the significance of this trivial finding that found a very
slightly higher plasma omega-3 level in this group with more aggressive cancer.
It may be from higher fish intake causing a problem, or it may just reflect the timing
of the second blood draw.
Nevertheless, it has nothing to do with vegans using a small dose of DHA to prevent deficiency.
These results can only make sense if some were informed that they were at heightened
risk and then started to eat better, with less trans-fat and less junk food and started
to eat more fish instead of red meat.
The fact that trans fats were so low in those with aggressive cancer indicates that some
men who developed these cancers likely were aware they had some problem brewing.
There is no way higher levels of dangerous man-made trans fats could be protecting against
prostate cancer, so we know these findings must be a red herring.
If we think the findings from this study indicates DHA causes cancer then we should be eating
margarine and more potato chips and fried fast food to protect against prostate cancer.
Obviously, the findings in this study are meaningless.
Prostate cancer is a slowly growing disease taking decades to manifest and advance to
those advanced stages.
If this study reflected an actual effect of omega-3 fatty acids, we would see more prostate
cancer in Japan where they eat so much fish throughout life, taking in eight times the
amount of fish oils compared to Americans and their DHA levels are double the levels
compared to the US.
But they have less than a third of the prostate cancer we see here.
If we are considering something so surprising and unlikely that even a low dose of DHA would
cause prostate cancer, at least the person presenting that position should review all
the studies looking at this question and see where the totality of the evidence points.
A fundamental aspect of quality research is consistency and repeatability.
Reputable studies looking at this question show the opposite: They show higher DHA levels
are associated with lower risk of prostate cancer.
A recent meta-analysis of fish and prostate cancer showed fish had a protective effect
on prostate cancer mortality.
There are many studies, and the results have not been consistent.
There are some theories about possible reasons for the increases in risk seen in a few of
the studies.
It could be the accumulated heavy metals or other pollutants in fish.
And very high doses of EPA and DHA from fish oil can have an immunosuppressive effect.
There is also the possibility of detection bias, where health-conscious men are more
likely to eat fish or take fish oil and have PSA screenings, making a diagnosis of prostate
cancer more likely.
My advice for those eating plant-rich diets has always been to avoid high-dose fish oil
supplements and instead take a small dose of vegan EPA-DHA instead.
The fact that there may be some small potential risk from a high-dose fish oil or from eating
lots of fish, has no bearing on the recommendation for non-fish-eaters to take a small insurance
dose of algae-derived EPA and DHA to prevent insufficiency and protect brain health with
aging.
Dr. Ornish showed his nutritional program reversed prostate cancer – and his program
included 3 grams of fish oil supplement a day.
The idea that a well-designed vegan diet with just a low dose algae supplement, 250 mg to
avoid a deficiency in DHA would cause prostate cancer is not only unsupported, but ludicrous.
And, mentioning Dr. Ornish – his recent review of much of this science had him change
his prior advice, and now he recommends not only DHA, but also that his heart patients
and others consume some nuts and seeds in their diet.
Of course, all of you are free to have your own conclusions and beliefs without being
attacked.