What Mr. Clinton did NOT do

12. February 2010 William Davis (36)
You've likely already heard that former President Bill Clinton underwent a heart catheterization today during which one of the bypass grafts to his coronary arteries was found to be occluded. The original coronary artery was therefore stented.

Dr. Alan Schwartz, Mr. Clinton's cardiologist, announced to the gathered press that Mr. Clinton had followed a good diet, had adopted a regular exercise program, but that his condition is a "chronic disease" like hypertension that is not cured by these efforts.



Needing a stent just 6 years after four bypass grafts are inserted is awfully soon. I would propose that it has less to do with having a "chronic disease" and more to do with all the things that Mr. Clinton likely is NOT doing. (In addition to all the other things that Mr. Clinton did not do.) In other words, in the Track Your Plaque world, procedures are a rarity, heart attacks virtually unheard of. I would wager that Mr. Clinton has been doing none of the following:

--Taking fish oil. Or, if his doctor was "advanced" enough to have advised him to take fish oil, not taking enough.
--Vitamin D--Followers of the Heart Scan Blog already know that vitamin D is the most incredible health find of the last 50 years, including its effects on reducing heart disease risk. Unless Mr. Clinton runs naked in a tropical sun, he is vitamin D deficient. A typical dose for a man his size is 8000 units per day (gelcap only!).
--Eating a true heart healthy diet. I'll bet Mr. Clinton's doctor, trying to do the "right" thing, follows the prudent course of advising a "balanced diet" that is low in fat--you know, the diet that causes heart disease. Judging by Mr. Clinton's body shape (central body fat), it is a virtual certainty that he conceals a severe small LDL pattern, the sort that is worsened by grains, improved with their elimination.
--Making sure that hidden causes are addressed--In addition to the "hidden" small LDL, lipoprotein(a) is another biggie. Lp(a) tends to be the province of people with greater than average intelligence. I believe Mr. Clinton qualifies in this regard. I would not be at all surprised if Mr. Clinton conceals a substantial lipoprotein(a) pattern, worsened in the presence of small LDL.
--Controlling after-meal blood sugars--Postprandial (after-eating) blood sugars are a major trigger for atherosclerotic plaque growth. There are easy-to-follow methods to blunt the after-meal rise of blood sugar. (This will be the subject of an in-depth upcoming Track Your Plaque Special Report.)
--Thyroid normalization--It might be as simple as taking iodine; it might involve a little more effort, such as supplemental T3. Regardless, thyroid normalization is an easy means to substantially reduce coronary risk and slow or stop coronary plaque growth.


It's not that tough to take a few steps to avoid bypass surgery in the first place. Or, if you've already had a procedure, a few additional steps (of the sort your doctor will likely not tell you about) and you can make your first bypass your only bypass.

Magnesium and arrhythmia

11. February 2010 William Davis (35)
Because magnesium is removed during municipal water treatment and is absent from most bottled water, deficiency of this crucial mineral is a growing problem.

Magnesium deficiency can manifest itself in a wide variety of ways, from muscle cramps (usually calves, toes, and fingers), erratic blood sugars, higher blood pressure, to heart rhythm problems. The abnormal heart rhythms that can arise due to magnesium deficiency include premature atrial contractions, premature ventricular contractions, multifocal atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and even ventricular tachycardia, fibrillation, and Torsade de Pointes (all potentially fatal). Magnesium is important!

Magnesium supplementation is therefore necessary for just about everybody to maintain normal tissue levels. (The exception is people with kidney disorders, who should not take magnesium without supervision, since they retain magnesium.)

Here is a Heart Scan Blog reader's dramatic rhythm-correcting response to magnesium supplementation:



Dr. Davis,

A few months ago, I contacted you inquiring if you had written any articles on arrhythmia. You were generous enough to answer and guide me to an LEF article you'd written in which you stressed fish oil and magnesium. I had been suffering with bad PVCs [premature ventricular contractions] for over 20 years, and they had gotten so bad recently that I was told my next options were ablation or pacemaker!

I was already on fish oil and had not seen any difference, and so I researched the magnesium you suggested more thoroughly and found a huge body of studies supportng its effect on arrhythmia. I also read many posts on heart forums with people having success with it. After getting advice from various bloggers, I tried magnesium taurate in the morning and Natural Calm (an ionized form of mag citrate) in the afternoon and evening. Within three days the PVCs were quite diminished and by 2 weeks totally gone! As long as I keep taking it, they never return---not even one irregular blip---even when I drink strong coffee! The magnesium also cleared up my restless leg syndrome, my eye twitching, and insomnia. (Apparently, I was the poster-girl for magnesium deficiency.)

I am so angry that after all these years of suffering, trying various medications, and seeing at least 4 different cardiologists that NOT ONE ever even mentioned trying magnesium. The generosity of the few minutes you took to answer my email and steer me in a helpful direction brought me total relief.

Thank you SO MUCH!

Warmly,
Catherine C.

Video teleconference with Dr. Davis

10. February 2010 William Davis (4)

Dr. Davis is available for personal
one-on-one video teleconferencing

to discuss your heart health issues.


You can obtain Dr. Davis' expertise on issues important to your health, including:

Lipoprotein assessment

Heart scans and coronary calcium scores

Diet and nutrition

Weight loss

Vitamin D supplementation for optimal health

Proper use of omega-3 fatty acids/fish oil


Each personalized session is 30 minutes long and by appointment only. To arrange for a Video Teleconference, go to our Contact Page and specify Video Teleconference in your e-mail. We will contact you as soon as possible on how to arrange the teleconference.


The cost for each 30-minute session is $375, payable in advance. 30-minute follow-up sessions are $275.

(Track Your Plaque Members: Our Member cost is $300 for a 30-minute session; 30-minute follow-up sessions are $200.)

After the completion of your Video Teleconference session, a summary of the important issues discussed will be sent to you.

The Video Teleconference is not meant to replace the opinion of your doctor, nor diagnose or treat any condition. It is simply meant to provide additional discussion about your health issues that should be discussed further with your healthcare provider. Prescriptions cannot be provided.

Note: For an optimal experience, you will need a computer equipped with a microphone and video camera. (Video camera is optional; you will be able to see Dr. Davis, but he will not be able to see you if you lack a camera.)

We use Skype for video teleconferencing. If you do not have Skype or are unfamiliar with this service, our staff will walk you through the few steps required.

Thinner by Thursday

10. February 2010 William Davis (0)
You want to lose a few pounds . . . Okay, maybe 50 or 75.

Should you exercise? Lengthen you workout? Push the plate away, deny yourself seconds, use a smaller plate?

Of all the weight loss strategies I've tried in patients, there's only one that stands out as a means of obtaining immediate--meaning within 3 days--weight reduction.

Wheat elimination.

Omega-3 Index: 10% or greater?

9. February 2010 William Davis (19)
We've previously considered the question:

What is an ideal level of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood?

Recall that omega-3 levels in red blood cells (RBCs), a measure called the "omega-3 index," have been associated with risk for sudden cardiac death:





In a recent analysis, 265 people experiencing sudden death during a heart attack (ventricular fibrillation, successfully resuscitated) showed an omega-3 index of 4.88%, while 185 people not experiencing sudden death during a heart attack showed an omega-3 index of 6.08%.

We have more ambitious goals than just avoiding sudden death, of course! How about the omega-3 index associated with reduced risk for heart attack? A recent analysis of females from the Harvard School of Public Health suggested that RBC omega-3 levels as high as 8.99% were still associated with non-fatal heart attack (myocardial infarction), compared to 9.36% in those without heart attacks, suggesting that even higher levels are necessary to prevent non-fatal events.

Most recently, another study comparing 50 people after heart attack with 50 controls showed that people with heart attack had an omega-3 index of 9.57% vs 11.81% in controls--even higher. (This study was in a Korean population with higher fish consumption. There was also a powerful contribution to risk from trans fat RBC levels.) The investigators concluded: "The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of fatty acid profiles was larger than that for traditional risk factors, suggesting that fatty acid profiles make a higher contribution to the discrimination of MI cases from controls compared with modified Framingham risk factors."

The data suggest that, while an omega-3 index of 7.3% is associated with reduced risk for sudden cardiac death, a higher level of 10% or greater is associated with less risk for heart attack. Surprisingly, fish consumption and fish oil intake account for only 47% of the variation in omega-3 index.

I believe the emerging data are becoming increasingly clear: If you desire maximal control over heart health, know your omega-3 index and keep it 10% or higher.

Let's soak 'em with fish oil

8. February 2010 William Davis (12)
If you don't think that charging drug prices for fish oil is wrong, take a look at a letter from an angry Heart Scan Blog reader:


Hello Dr. Davis,

My 44 year old brother had an MI [myocardial infarction, or heart attack] in June. He got pushed around due to "bad government insurance," a state-run program for the "uninsured": government pays 1/3, job pays 1/3, and individual pays 1/3.

What they didn't tell him is that there is no major medical coverage and little to no prescription coverage. We fought for 4 months to get him open heart surgery that the insurance was not going to pay for.

Now, with no assistance, terrible insurance, and no disability he has little to no income. He is a heavy equipment mechanic and is trying to be the "good American"-- take care of his bills, not file bankruptcy, etc.

Anyway, the doctors never seem to pay attention to what they prescribe. Lipitor was not working for him, due to side effects. Now they want to give him Zetia and Lovaza....Zetia at $114, and Lovoza is $169.85! Wow! For dead fish???? I think this is a little fishy! I looked up Lovaza, gee how nice, they will give you a $20 coupon....

Forget it, he can't afford this stuff. So I am enrolling in the Zetia program for him. And trying to get him OTC [over-the-counter] fish oil. The most prevalent fish oil around here (that I take myself is) Omega 3 Fish Oil that has EPA 410mg, DHA 274.

Thanks for your blog. It made me feel better that I wasn't the only one outraged by this stuff. I 've been a nurse for 20 years and it just never seems to get better. Thank you for your wisdom.

Sincerely JP, Tennessee


Had this reader not been aware that her brother could take fish oil as a nutritional supplement, he likely would have been denied the benefit of omega-3 fatty acids in slashing the risk for recurrent cardiovascular events. You and I can buy wonderfully safe and effective fish oil as a nutritional supplement, but there won't be a sexy drug representative to sell it, nor an expensive dinner and payment for a trip to Orlando to hear about it.

Heart scan gone wrong

6. February 2010 William Davis (9)
Those of you reading the Heart Scan Blog, I hope, have come to appreciate the power in measuring atherosclerotic plaque, the stuff of coronary artery disease, and not relying on indirect potential "risk factors," especially the fictitious LDL cholesterol.

However, like all things, even a great thing like heart scans can be misused. Here's a story of how a heart scan should NOT be used, submitted by a reader.


Dr. Davis,

First of all, let me start out by commending you on all of the work you are doing with your website, blogs, etc. You are truly a breath of fresh air at a time when conventional medicine is no longer making any sense. In the last 3 years or so, I have spent a lot of time using the internet to try and find answers . . . and just about every time, when I find things that make "sense," it coincides which the recommendations you provide. Thank You!!

I am 56 years old, and roughly 5 years ago I bought your book, Track Your Plaque, primarily because I had asked my then Internal Medicine physician about why we weren't more "proactive" about determining the state of our cardiovascular health...since the means to do so existed (scans). He was trying to get me to go on a statin because my cholesterol #'s were a little high and at the time I smoked. Other than that, I was in perfectly good health with no side effects or issues. The following year at my annual physical, we again discussed this and he gave me a few options and I ended up having a calcium score done, which showed some blockage, but again, I never had any pains, sweats, or any other symptoms whatsoever, and I am a very active former athlete. This is when I bought your book to try and set a course of plan that wouldn't just include pharmaceuticals.

At the same time, my father was in his last months of life dealing with prostate cancer and the multiple radiation and chemo treatments, so I was making many trips from my home to be with him . . . a 4 hour drive, and very disruptive to family, as I still have 3 kids at home. At what I thought was going to be my last visit with him, I stopped at the cemetery he had planned on being buried to confirm details and such and then started home.

As I was driving, a symptom hit me which I was unfamiliar with (pretty sure it was an anxiety attack now) and I stopped at a friend's house in Chicago, as I didn't want this to be a heart attack while I was driving. This is when I began thinking about the heart scan and the blockage, and ended up driving back later that night and went right to the ER....not because I had any chest pains, but thought it best to be checked out because I did not want to go before my dad did. I ended up staying the night. In the morning the cardiologist PA [physician's assistant] came in with a copy of my calcium scoring and said it was best to have a heart cath...which I was in total agreement with since it would definitively tell me the current condition of my coronary vessels. As I was getting ready to be wheeled into the cath lab, they approached me with a form that would allow them to treat (stent). This is where I became very uncomfortable, in that I had never even met the cardiologist . . . and I didn't like this. No one ever had asked if I was experiencing pains or anything else . . . but I buckled and signed the form.

Before you knew it, I was awake watching my heart being cathed and the cardiologist angry because they did not have all the right sizes of stents, so he had to use a couple extra and I ended up w/5 total . . . and my life changed forever! In looking back, I can't necessarily argue the need for intervention, but in hindsight, it would have been nice to have tried an alternative method of reversing my plaque, especially since I had never experienced any symptoms and didn't appear to be in any imminent danger.

Upon release from the hospital I was put on a cocktail of drugs that typically follow and I then began to search and research. No one talked to me about lifestyle changes other that smoking....but nothing on diet or other means of cholesterol control, etc....in fact, when I had to pick out my meals in the hospital, they wouldn't let me have cheese....but the rice crispy treat was fine....how stupid! They originally told me the Plavix had to last 6 months....and then 12....and then 2 years....I stayed on it for 1-1/2 years and it was the only thing other than a baby aspirin. I went to another cardiologist out of town and he wanted me back on 5 or 6 medications and said that now I had the stents....I would have to be on these for life.....and he was the expert that talked at several main conferences.....my last trip to him.

Now, fast forward to about 6 months ago: I was participating in a father-son soccer scrimmage and was playing goalie. It was wet out and I couldn't catch very well. So being the competitive person I am, I resorted to using my chest on several of the saves and also took a direct blow to my eye ( I wear glasses) and the eye started swelling up pretty good. We then finished and went inside to have pizza and everyone was concerned about my eye. About 30 minutes later I excused myself as i felt some pretty significant sweats and subsequently a pretty severe pain directly in the middle of my chest....I was having a heart attack! Called 911 and went to hospital (2-1/2 years since original stents) and my local cardiologist removed the blockage that was at the anterior portion of my 1st stent causing the blockage. The huge disappointment to me is that I had taken many steps to improve my overall health. But now that I have foreign bodies in my vessels, the chance of further clotting is something that i will most likely always have to live with.

BU, Michigan



This is an example of how heart scans should NOT be used. They should NEVER be used to justify a procedure, no matter how high the score or where the plaque is located. The "need" for procedures is determined by symptoms (BU's symptoms were hardly representative of heart disease), blood findings, EKG, stress testing, and perhaps CT coronary angiography. "Need" for procedures can never be justified simply on the basis of the presence of plaque by a heart scan calcium score.

Unnecessary procedures like the one BU underwent are not entirely benign, as his experience at the soccer game demonstrated.

Heart scans are truly helpful things. But, like many good things, they are subject to misuse in the hands of the uncaring or greedy.

Blood sugar: Fasting vs. postprandial

5. February 2010 William Davis (23)
Peter's fasting blood glucose: 89 mg/dl--perfect.

After one whole wheat bagel, apple, black coffee: 157 mg/dl--diabetic-range.

How common is this: Normal fasting blood sugar with diabetic range postprandial (after-eating) blood sugar?

It is shockingly common.

The endocrinologists have known this for some years, since a number of studies using oral glucose tolerance testing (OGTT) have demonstrated that fasting glucose is not a good method of screening people for diabetes or pre-diabetes, nor does it predict the magnitude of postprandial glucose. (In an OGTT, you usually drink 75 grams of glucose as a cola drink, followed by blood sugar checks. The conventional cut off for "impaired glucose tolerance" is 140-200 mg/dl; diabetes is 200 mg/dl or greater.) People with glucose levels during OGTT as high as 200 mg/dl may have normal fasting values below 100 mg/dl.

High postprandial glucose values are a coronary risk factor. While conventional guidelines say that a postprandial glucose (i.e., during OGTT) of 140 mg/dl or greater is a concern, coronary risk starts well below this. Risk is increased approximately 50% at 126 mg/dl. Risk may begin with postprandial glucoses as low as 100 mg/dl.

For this reason, postprandial (not OGTT) glucose checks are becoming an integral part of the Track Your Plaque program. We encourage postprandial blood glucose checks, followed by efforts to reduce postprandial glucose if they are high. More on this in future.

Diabetes from fruit

2. February 2010 William Davis (38)
Mitch sat in my office, looking much the same as he had on prior visits.

At 5 ft 7 inches, he weighed a comfortable 159 lb, though he did have a small visible "paunch" above his beltline.

I had been seeing Mitch for his heart scan score of 1157 caused by low HDL of 38 mg/dl, severe small LDL (87% of total LDL), and lipoprotein (a).

Part of Mitch's therapeutic program was elimination of wheat, cornstarch, and sugars, the three most flagrant triggers of small LDL particles, and weighing his diet in favor of oils and fats to reduce Lp(a). However, Mitch somehow failed to follow our restriction on fruit, which we limit to no more than two 4 oz servings per day, preferably berries. He thought we said "Eat all the fruit you want." And so he did.

Mitch had a banana, orange, and blueberries for breakfast. For lunch, along with some tuna or soup, he'd typically have half a melon, a pear, and red grapes. For snacks, he'd have an apple or nectarine. After dinner, it wasn't unusual for Mitch to have another piece of fruit for dessert.

Up until Mitch's last visit, he'd had blood glucose levels of 100-112 mg/dl, above normal and reflecting mild insulin resistance and pre-diabetes. Today, on his unlimited fruit diet, his blood sugar: 166 mg/dl--well into diabetes territory.

I helped Mitch understand the principles of our diet better and advised him to reduce his fruit intake to no more than the 2 small servings per day, as well as sticking to our "no wheat, no cornstarch, no sugar" principles.

While fruit is certainly better than, say, a half-cup of gummy bears (84.06 g carbohydrates, 50.12 g sugars), fruit is unavoidably high in carbohydrates and sugars.

Take a look at the carbohydrate content of some common fruits:

Apple, 1 medium (2-3/4" dia)
19.06 g carbohydrate (14.34 g sugar)

Banana, 1 medium (7" to 7-7/8" long)
26.95 g carbohydrate (14.43 g sugar)

Grapes, 1 cup
27.33 g carbohydrate (23.37 g sugar)

Pear, 1 medium
25.66 g carbohydrate (16.27 g sugar)

Source: USDA Food and Nutrient Database

Fruit has many healthy components, of course, such as fiber, flavonoids, and vitamin C. But it also comes with plenty of sugar. This is especially true of modern fruit, the sort that has been cultivated, hybridized, fertilized, gassed, etc. for size and sugar content.

When you hear such conventional advice like "eat plenty of fruits and vegetables," you should hear instead: "eat plenty of vegetables. Eat a small quantity of fruit."

The sniff test

31. January 2010 William Davis (0)
It is well established that omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil are free of mercury, PCBs, furans, and other pesticide residues. Several independent analyses have all agreed: little to none are contained in fish oil. In the Consumer Lab series of assessments, for example, no fish oil supplement failed because of any heavy metal or pesticide residue.

However, oxidative byproducts are a problem. Just as fish that sits on the store shelf or your refrigerator too long starts to smell "fishy," so will fish oil. When fish or fish oil becomes rancid, smelling like rotten fish at its worst, it means that
Watch your fish oil labels

Watch your fish oil labels

17. December 2009 William Davis (36)
A quick quiz:

How much omega-3 fatty acids, EPA + DHA, are in each capsule of fish oil with the composition shown on the label below:





If you said 1340 mg (894 mg + 446 mg), sorry, but you're wrong. There are 670 mg EPA + DHA per capsule.

Did you notice that the composition, or "Supplement Facts," lists the contents of two capsules? Rather than the usual one capsule contents, this product label lists two capsules.

I don't know why some manufacturers or distributors do this. However, I have seen many people tripped up by this kind of labeling, taking half the omega-3 fatty acids they thought they were taking. This can be important when you are trying to obtain a specific dose of EPA + DHA to reduce triglycerides, reduce Lp(a), control abnormal heart rhythms, reduce bipolar mood swings, or other important effects.

I liken this to pulling up to a gas station where the sign says gasoline for $1.25. Wow! Can't beat that! You then find out that it's really $1.25 for a half-gallon, or $2.50 a gallon.

In truth, the labeling is accurate; it's just very easy to not notice the two capsule composition.
Tags :

Comments (36) -

  • Jenny

    12/17/2009 2:43:18 PM |

    The supplement business, completely unregulated, is a magnet for scoundrels. The label is nothing compared to the deceptions they practice in what they put into the capsule and pill. Over and over again lab testing shows the pills either don't contain what you are paying for or contain dangerous contaminants.

    This probably explains why so many studies find that taking vitamin supplements increases mortality in large populations. The toxic load of the pills is probably to blame.

  • jtkeith

    12/17/2009 4:27:25 PM |

    This is a good point, and one I've certainly seen.  

    On a side note, 670mg of EPA/DHA  per capsule is higher than pretty much anything I can find.  500 is more like the upper limit.  Can anyone provide brand guidance about where to find these super potent versions?  

    And another thing I've long wondered is if there are any significant differences between one fish oil and another?  For example, some tout that the fish oil comes from wild salmon, which is better because... ?

  • Dennis

    12/17/2009 6:26:10 PM |

    Interesting article. I have some articles that I've written on fish oil too on my website http://myherbalsupplement.com - I'd love if you checked it out.

  • sdkidsbooks

    12/17/2009 7:27:40 PM |

    Dr. D,

    A bit off this topic, but I was wondering what your thoughts are on the latest research posted yesterday on Crestor.  They are now recommending Crestor for those with normal lipids who have "other" factors for potential heart disease.  It was shown to prevent heart attacks and strokes for those participants. Is this another BIG PHARMA scam?

  • gsbuck

    12/17/2009 8:25:17 PM |

    what would be an eqivilant dose of Flax seed oil if one is currently taking fish oil (2,600IU's of EPA+DEA )

  • Kamila

    12/17/2009 11:11:37 PM |

    I've noticed this too, Dr Davis.  There is some justification with regard to splitting doses in order to make the capsule size more palatable.  But, oftentimes there does appear to be deliberate obfuscation in order to make the purchase price appear more attractive.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/17/2009 11:30:47 PM |

    Gsbuck--

    3 gallons.

    Just kidding. So little of the linolenic acid in flaxseed oil is converted to DHA that it's impossible to raise your blood level of EPA + DHA using flaxseed oil.

    The claims made by some marketers of flaxseed oil as an omega-3 fatty acid source are simply untrue.

    Nonetheless, flaxseed oil is a wonderful oil with benefits all of its own, just not EPA or DHA blood levels.

  • preserve

    12/18/2009 12:59:14 AM |

    "I don't know why some manufacturers or distributors do this."

    Profit optimization / discriminatory pricing.  Charge illiterates a higher price than literates.

  • Hans Schrauwen

    12/18/2009 10:15:14 AM |

    And what about the claims that     Omega3 from algae is just as good ? They claim fish have DHA because they get it from algae anyway, so why not go direct? If nothing else it has less environmental impact, and if cold-subtracted potentially less oxidized :
    http://www.v-pure.com/

    I take it myself and I never have those "fish burps" from it although it tastes exactly like all other fish-oils.

  • Rob

    12/18/2009 3:47:57 PM |

    I've only recently started following your blog and I dunno if this is the most appropriate place to ask, but what (generally speaking) would be a recommended daily EPA/DHA (or total Omega-3) dosage?

    I've been taking a krill oil supplement for several months, but the dosage is a fraction of that offered by the capsule you used for an example in this post.  So that makes me wonder if I'm taking enough of the supplement to even make a real difference.

  • Carolyn Thomas

    12/18/2009 5:47:20 PM |

    This helps to explain my pet peeves about the supplement industry - as Jenny says, it's a completely unregulated industry.

    In fact, there is no legal requirement for what's listed on the label to even match what's actually inside the capsule.  As long as manufacturers don't claim to 'cure disease', they can pretty well say what they like, at least until proposed industry regulation hits in the next two years - unless the industry's very powerful lobby groups are successful in squashing regulation, as they are of course trying to do.

  • Anonymous

    12/19/2009 1:25:49 AM |

    How can one enjoy raw Almonds and Hazelnuts (my fave) without overdosing on Omega 6?

    Also, any thoughts on whether monocytes reflect too much Omega 6?  I read something on this by Dr. Glen Aukerman regarding lipomas.  He claims lipomas and uterine fibroids are caused by excessive Omega 6 and recommends no nuts at all, no flaxseed, no poultry.  My monocytes tested at 10 which was not flagged as abnormal -- he claims 3.5 is ideal.  I have lipomas and fibroids. My CRP is so low it does not register and ESR was zero. I've never heard this monocyte theory before.

  • Dr. William Davis

    12/19/2009 1:32:47 AM |

    The key with nutritional supplements is to be an informed consumer.

    The WRONG response is: Because I can't always trust the supplement manufacturers, I'll turn to prescription agents (like prescription fish oil).

    I'd personally only turn in the direction of prescription fish oil if I were interested in STICKING IT TO MY FELLOW HEALTHCARE CONSUMERS! I am not, so I prefer that we all educate ourselves on what preparations are reliable and safe.

  • Anonymous

    12/19/2009 2:57:36 AM |

    Dear Author heartscanblog.blogspot.com !
    Clearly, I thank for the help in this question.

  • Healthy Oil Planet.com

    12/19/2009 5:26:49 PM |

    It's really important to look closely at the labels to determine exactly how much ingredient you're getting per dose.  The same applies to food labels as these can be misleading if one doesn't analyze the label closely.

  • homertobias

    12/20/2009 7:44:57 PM |

    Dr Davis

    It is worse than that.  Alot of brands, (Costco is the worst), not only trip you up on serving size but also do the following: Total omega 3: (including DHA/EPA) 375mg.
    So how much DHA/EPA here?  Who knows!  When you look down at the ingredients you will find anchovies, Vit E, and SOY.  Which is cheaper, anchovies or ALA from soy.  And who knows how much Omega 6.

  • Anonymous

    12/20/2009 9:23:45 PM |

    Also be on the lookout for labels that don't mention the EPA/DHA ratios. I've seen some cheaper brands just list 'Omega 3s', with no breakdown.  And if interested in form used (ethyl ester vs triglyceride) you'll have to read the label closely too -- but quite often this isn't even mentioned.

    Although that leads to another point: what is the optimal EPA/DHA ratio as far as reducing heart disease risks?  I don't think this has really been studied that closely.

  • Mindscaper

    12/21/2009 6:00:22 PM |

    I read so much on nutritional interventions for CHD and atherosclerosis that I sometimes lose the source of my information. Sorry if this is the wrong attribution but I think it was Art Ayers (might have been Stephen Guyenet) who blogged about the dangers of using fish oil as a source of Omega 3s. One caveat is that  fish oil oxidizes very easily on the shelf and is likely to also do so in the warm temperatures within the body--therefore it could contribute to inflammation rather than prevent it. If this is true, it is a serious consideration for those who already have atherosclerosis and are attempting to reverse it by using anti-inflammatory foods and supplements. What do you think about this? Should we be getting our omega 3s and 6s from other sources? If so, which?

    I also wonder about disturbing the appropriate balance of omega 3s and 6s by eating either walnuts, almonds, or sunflower seeds daily to help eliminate excessive plaque. So many conflicting ideas--what is one to believe and do?

    Thanks for all the information you generously provide.

  • Judy B

    12/22/2009 2:00:31 AM |

    Is there a search function on this site?

  • Mindscaper

    12/23/2009 3:05:39 AM |

    Ted, Thanks very much for your detailed and informative post. I intend to follow-up by reading your suggested list. Your post is very helpful in clearing up some confusion I was experiencing.Just rereading Stephan's posts go a long way to solidify my understanding of inflammatory processes resulting from chronic overindulgence in excess omega 6s, refined carbs,etc. Ironically, I have been conscientiously attempting to follow the best advice and practices concerning CVD since my father died in the 1970s at the age of 48 after 2 heart attacks and a series of strokes.

    Unfortunately, it turns out that the "best advice" was almost all certainly wrong and in some cases fraudulent. I succumbed to the very disease I thought I was avoiding by my "healthy" lifestyle. The best thing I had going for me had been a  complete  avoidance of doctors until my totally unexpected heart attack last year. At that point my life was saved by Western medicine but I was literally hijacked by the medical system. Because I had insurance I was given an unnecessary $17,000 helicopter ride, two angioplasty procedures, a week's confinement in a hospital and 4 stents--(one of them to replace a botched procedure that caused a vessel dissection). Subsequently, I was placed on statins,plavix, ace inhibitors, and beta blockers for at least a year.

    My intent is to get off of these as soon as possible and to that end I'm seeing an integrative medicine D.O. at the University of Maryland in addition to my cardiologist. She is supportive of my anti-inflammatory diet, antioxidents, vitamin D3  and amino acids, Q-10, and  NO enhancers. I've made her my primary care doctor so she can help me communicate with my cardiologist who I overheard saying (while I was being wheeled in on a gurney "here's a person who should never eat another egg for the rest of her life". How can these MD's be so indoctrinated and misinformed? It is mind-boggling to me. However, once a captive within the system it is extremely difficult to extracate oneself. I was told before I left the hospital that if I missed one dose of Plavix I could cause a clot to form and could die. I was not told that there are other natural platelet anticoagulants that work very well. I was also told that it is virtually impossible to reverse atherosclerosis by nutracueticals and lifestyle changes. It has been an eye opening process to learn differently from doing my own research.
    Again. . . thanks for the information. It will keep me busy for the next little while. Cee

  • Adolfo David

    12/23/2009 6:40:02 AM |

    Dear Dr Davis, I have seen some people criticize your TC scan program because of this might increase cancer risk. So I believe you may be interested in an opposite view, since low dose radiation can be healthy and good based on the phenomenon of hormesis – "a dose response phenomenon whereby a substance that in a high dose inhibits, or is toxic to, a biological process will, in a much smaller dose, stimulate (or protect) that same process."

    CT Scans May Reduce Rather than
    Increase the Risk of Cancer
    http://www.jpands.org/vol13no1/scott.pdf

  • TedHutchinson

    12/25/2009 1:47:43 PM |

    @ Judy B
    If you go to the Heartscanblog home page you will find on the left hand side of the black bar at the very top of the page, a searchbox.

    But that only searches Dr Davis blogs.
    It doesn't search the comments.
    Some of the readers here are very informed and often there are interesting points raised in the comments that add to the valuable information in the blog.
    So to search the blog and the comments I use
    Google advanced search and enter the Heartscanblog URL
    http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/
    in the search filter box
    Search within a site or domain:

    If you are searching for a post or comment that was recent then select an option from the
    Date, usage rights, numeric range, and more filter menu.

    To speed up searching through the results for the information you want then using you keyboard keys
    Ctrl F brings up a new searchbox, enter the word/phrase you are looking for in this box and then you can quickly skim through each of the occasions that word/phrase appears here.

  • bestrate

    1/4/2010 6:53:02 PM |

    Regarding Rob's question (way up at the top) about fish oil dosages, I too have been wondering about that.  I did find a very fascinating compilation summarizing the opinions of experts on proper dosages which I have bookmarked at (see http://www.buy-fish-oil.com/how-much-fish-oil-dosage-per-day-should-i-take/ )  It was particularly instructive to learn how fish oil has been used in extreme cases of brain failure, heart failure, kidney failure and liver failure such as the treatment and remarkable recovery of the coal miner who survived the Sago mine disaster.  Fascinating.

  • Health Test Dummy

    1/13/2010 7:41:20 PM |

    I recently bought one out of necessity. It has Caramel Coloring added!!!! CARAMEL COLORING???!!!!

    I am indeed perturbed.

  • Anonymous

    1/26/2010 1:36:39 PM |

    "The supplement business, completely unregulated, is a magnet for scoundrels. The label is nothing compared to the deceptions they practice in what they put into the capsule and pill. Over and over again lab testing shows the pills either don't contain what you are paying for or contain dangerous contaminants."

    As a recent subscriber to http://www.consumerlab.com/ I find that for the most part supplements have in them what they claim...and are free of contaminants.  You COULD generally buy supplements from certain dependable sources and be safe doing so.  I don't work in the industry.

  • Term papers

    1/26/2010 3:42:22 PM |

    I notice that the composition, or "Supplement Facts," lists the contents of two capsules Rather than the usual one capsule contents, this product label lists two capsules.

  • Marek Doyle

    2/6/2010 9:23:22 PM |

    Definitely worth buying a good quality fish oil supplement from a manufacturer you trust - and, ate least, taste the oil thats in your capsule before gobbling them down.

    Reference gsbuck's question above, it is difficult to create an exact equivalent between fish oils and flaxseed oils because of the way they are handled in the body. Flaxseed provides a lot of ALA, a plant omega-3s, which needs to be converted in the body into EPA/DHA, the 'active' omega 3s. In healthy people, around 16% of ALA is converted into EPA/DHA. So if you take 10g flaxseed oil, thats 8000mg of ALA, converts to 1280mg EPA/DHA. This is what you would find in around 4 grams of normal fish oil. But... older people, those with chronic disease, those with nutritional deficiency, etc, will never convert very effectively and require fish oils.

    I have discussed the benefits of fish oils vs flaxseed oil here.

  • Anonymous

    2/10/2010 6:04:09 AM |

    nice post. thanks.

  • Anonymous

    6/5/2010 2:57:33 PM |

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    6/7/2010 6:28:07 AM |

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    6/13/2010 7:50:15 AM |

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    6/15/2010 10:56:17 AM |

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  • buy jeans

    11/3/2010 7:33:52 PM |

    I don't know why some manufacturers or distributors do this. However, I have seen many people tripped up by this kind of labeling, taking half the omega-3 fatty acids they thought they were taking. This can be important when you are trying to obtain a specific dose of EPA + DHA to reduce triglycerides, reduce Lp(a), control abnormal heart rhythms, reduce bipolar mood swings, or other important effects.

  • Serdna

    2/14/2011 10:01:50 AM |

    Well, it seems to me that this is the label of the fish oil I consume. Maybe I am a little naive, but I just interpreted this label as a strong recommendation to take 2 softgels a day at a minimum and that they would have done a twice greater softgel if it could still be swallowed.

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