OmegaMatters

EPISODE #27 - Omega-3 for Athletes & Military Personnel

Recording date: July 14, 2023

Broadcast date: July 26, 2023

 Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson

Guest: Jeff Heileson, PhD, RD, CSSD 

Background and key takeaways: 

Jeff Heileson, RD, CSSD, got his Doctorate in Nutritional Sciences at Baylor University, and is Registered Dietitian and a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Now, he's a Deputy Director in the Nutrition Services Division at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. We first found out about Jeff and his mentor, LesLee Funderburk, from Baylor, when they contacted us about analyzing samples for their studies. And then we found out the area he was working in was really interesting and really important, and that's omega-3s and athletics and more specifically, in concussion areas and strength building. 

To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #26 - What is FARI?

Recording date: June 15, 2023 

Broadcast date: June 29, 2023

Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson

 Background and key takeaways: 

In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson talk about the formation of the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI). FARI is a non-profit foundation that brings together nutrition scientists and biostatistical experts with strong publication records and expertise in fatty acids to accelerate discovery of the relationships between fatty acids, especially omega-3, and health.



To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #25 - Omega-3 DHA & and the Infant Brain

Recording date: March 17, 2023

Broadcast date: May 2, 2023 

Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson

Guests: Drs. Kathleen Gustafson & Danielle Christifano

Background and key takeaways: 

In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson speak with Drs. Kathleen Gustafson and Danielle Christifano, from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Drs. Harris and Jackson came to know them through the work with Susan Carlson's lab, whom they’ve interviewed before about studying DHA in pregnancy. Kathleen was the director of the Neurophysiology core at the Hoglund Brain Imaging Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center until she recently retired. And she has expertise in neurophysiologic measurements, vision, retina, signal processing, and has collaborated on several nutrition studies. She also holds two patents related to human retinal dystrophin, and two patents related to the nutritional needs of premature infants. Dr. Christifano, or Danielle is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, where she studies the influence of nutrition on neurophysiological outcomes in mothers and children using techniques available at the Hoglund Imaging Center. And she also has a keen interest in improving the accessibility of prenatal nutrition recommendations, including Omega-3 in clinical settings. In this episode, they talk about the importance of DHA, especially for pregnant women who don’t get enough in their diets and how that can impact infant neurodevelopment and preterm birth risk. 

To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #24 - Research Alert! Omega-3 Index & COVID

Recording date: March 3, 2023

Broadcast date: March 9, 2023 

 Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris and Kristina Harris Jackson

Background and key takeaways: 

In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson talk about a recently published study on the Omega-3 Index and COVID. Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition on March 1st, the study showed those with a higher Omega-3 Index are more protected from severe COVID. 

To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #23 - Dr. Martha Belury: Demystifying the Omega-6 Controversy

Recording date: November 23, 2022

Broadcast date: February 16, 2023 

Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson

Guest: Dr. Martha Belury

Background and key takeaways: 

In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson interview Dr. Martha Belury. Dr. Belury is the Carol S. Kennedy professor in the Department of Human Sciences of the Ohio State University. She received her PhD in biological sciences from the University of Texas, Austin, and her current focus is on the mechanisms by which bioactive lipids regulate insulin sensitivity and liver adipose tissue and muscle. She's also interested in the role of energy balance and cancer prevention. And one of the bioactive lipids that she studied extensively is linoleic acid, an essential omega-6 fatty acid that today finds itself in the crosshairs of controversy. 

To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #22 - Measuring Omega-3 Status in Pregnant Women – Australia’s Pilot Program

Recording date: December 14, 2022

Broadcast date: January 19, 2023 

Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson

Guest: Dr. Robert Gibson

Background and key takeaways: 

In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson speak with Dr. Robert Gibson, a senior research fellow and professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Adelaide in South Australia, among many other titles. At his core, he is a biochemist and a nutritionist who has published 260 peer reviewed papers in high impact journals like the New England Journal of Medicine. He has conducted many large scale trials in nutrition, particularly during the perinatal period, and he is currently spearheading a pilot project to measure omega-3 status in pregnant women as the standard of care in Australia. 

To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #21 - EPA and DHA Metabolism

Recording date: October 24, 2022

Broadcast date: December 15, 2022                                                            

Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson

Guest: Dr. Richard Bazinet

Background and key takeaways: 

In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson speak with Dr. Richard Bazinet about the nitty-gritty details of EPA and DHA metabolism. Dr. Bazinet received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 2003 and followed that up with a post-doctoral fellowship at the NIH National Institute on Aging with Dr. Rapoport. He then he returned back to the University of Toronto in 2006, where he is currently a professor and the Canada research chair in brain lipid metabolism. He's also a past president of ISSFAL, the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids, and his overall research focus is to identify the mechanisms that regulate brain lipid metabolism and how those mechanisms may give us clues about pathophysiology of neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. 

To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #20 - It is Dangerous for Women to Avoid Fish During Pregnancy

Recording date: October 21, 2022

Broadcast date: November 17, 2022                                                       

Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson 

Guest: Dr. Tom Brenna

Background and key takeaways: 

In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson speak with Dr. Tom Brenna about seafood and pregnancy. Dr. Brenna is a professor of pediatrics at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his PhD from Cornell University in Analytical Chemistry and spent 28 years as a professor of human nutrition at Cornell in Ithaca, New York. He's received several awards from the American Society for Nutrition and served on a number of advisory panels on human nutrition, including being a member of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, which is the group that is tasked with updating the US Dietary Guidelines. His work has been in the area of requirements for polyunsaturated fatty acids in the perinatal period and the development of advanced analytical chemical instrumentation and high precision isotope ratio mass spectrometry for anti-doping applications. 

To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #19 - UK Biobank Studies: Fish Oil Use

Recording date: September 27, 2022

Broadcast date: October 20, 2022                                                           

Hosts: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson

Background and key takeaways: 

The UK Biobank is a large-scale biomedical database and research resource that is enabling new scientific discoveries to be made that improve public health. The resource provides accredited researchers access to medical and genetic data from half a million volunteer participants to improve our understanding of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of serious and life-threatening illnesses. Through the long-term commitment of 500,000 participants, together with the support of its funders, the UK Biobank is enabling new scientific discoveries that benefit people's health. The UK Biobank has been used in several recent studies examining the relationship between fish oil use and several health outcomes. In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson discuss 8 of these studies.


To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/

EPISODE #18 - What is GOED? 

Recording date: August 3, 2022

Broadcast date: September 15, 2022                                                      

Host: Drs. Bill Harris & Kristina Harris Jackson

Guest: Ellen Schutt

Background and key takeaways: Ellen Schutt is the Executive Director of GOED, which is the global organization for EPA and DHA omega-3s. She's been there for 10 years and oversees all aspects of the organization's mission, which is to increase consumption of EPA/DHA in the general public and ensure that all GOED members are providing EPA/DHA products that are high quality, so consumers can trust them. Ellen has more than 20 years of experience in the natural products industry, so she has a wide range of interests and expertise beyond omega-3s. In this episode, Drs. Harris and Jackson talk about what it takes to meet the high standards of being a GOED member, as well as a new clinical studies database, in which they’ve compiled all human studies on EPA and DHA and cataloged them and created a searchable database. 

To watch this episode, visit our YouTube channel.

To read the full transcript from this OmegaMatters episode, visit https://omegaquant.com/omegamatters-broadcasts/.

To learn more about omega-3 testing, visit: https://omegaquant.com/omega-3-index-complete/