Reprinted with permission from World at Large.

In a fascinating new study, several dozen participants were separated into groups and fed either a fish oil supplement or fish itself, and the supplement proved more effective at delivering omega-3 fatty acids into the body than the actual fish.

It was for years the norm, and likely still is in some quarters, for physicians to recommend trying to get all vital nutrients from foods, and not to rely on supplements.

But the study at least has shown this to be wrong, as both white and oily fish weren’t able to replicate some of the more penetrative effects of omega-3 from a supplement. As a result, those who can’t afford to eat cod or salmon every day may need not worry about it.

The strength of the study is that it was double-blinded and placebo controlled, meaning that neither the participants nor the scientists knew who got the fish oil and who ate fish, and in what combinations, a technique known as the “gold standard” in scientific research.

Analyzing the data after the study had been concluded revealed that a rather complex marker of disease risk called extracellular vesicles had only been improved by the presence of an additional intake of omega-3 from a supplement, and not by the consumption of white or oily fish alone.

Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA are arguably the most important human nutrients for health and longevity. The P.hD. and science researcher Dr. Rhonda Patrick has a database of simple explanations on omega-3 that’s worth a read, and probably the most detailed informational resource on the internet for these valuable nutrients.

The scope of their value in disease prevention and longevity is stunning. For example, one study Dr. Patrick cited shows that non-smokers with low omega-3 levels and daily smokers with high omega-3 levels have similar risk of death from cardiovascular disease, suggesting deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids is as great as risk of death as smoking.

Extracellular vesicles, the culprit in many diseases

In this new paper published in the British Journal of Nutrition, 42 participants were separated into three groups and had their diets controlled by 12 weeks. The first group was fed fish oil supplements plus white fish, the second was fed placebo plus oily fish, and the third placebo and white fish.

The target of the paper was extracellular vesicles, (EVs) the source of an emerging body of literature on disease pathology. EVs are produced and excreted by all cells that have been examined for it. They can’t replicate, but these lipid-like particles do carry fragments of DNA and can enter other cells. For this reason they are implicated in a number of cancers, as well as neurodegenerative diseases, atherosclerosis, neurological problems, chronic inflammation, and aging.

EVs also act as a procoagulant and senolytic, however, and have also been seen to extend the immunological memory of T cells, showing how they aren’t all bad. Their role may be similar to that of inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and Interleukin-6, which are implicated in virtually every disease known to man, but also play a role in healing the body through acute inflammation.

EVs are a compelling marker of disease to measure the impact of omega-3 levels, since they are created in comparatively low numbers in most organs and tissues and present a systematic challenge.

It was only the group that received the fish oil supplements which saw a reduction in the circulation of EVs in the bloodstream, while those who ate the kinds of fish recommended for improving omega-3 levels could not replicate this effect.

While the number of participants was small, both the randomized study design and the length of the study period of 3 months contribute to an overall strength of the findings.

In order to raise the levels of omega-3 in the body above the threshold at which the most robust effects are seen, researchers in one analysis found that a range of 1,750 to 2,500 milligrams was optimal and well-tolerated by the body. WaL