This was an especially informative and valuable post, Dr. Marik. I’m deeply grateful for the knowledge you continue to share and for your steady, trusted presence in my inbox. Your work is truly appreciated.
Omega three in the form of Krill Oil completely resolved my multi decade bouts of depression. It isn’t the cure for all forms of depression, but certainly it could help many more.
I started using Krill Oil when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I was looking for supplements that would reduce inflammation and Krill Oil was one of those. The Crohn’s battle is another long story I won’t get into.
I just use the recommended dose on the bottle which does the job for me. I have always used Dr. Mercola’s brand.
I can go a few days without it, but eventually the depression will reoccur if I don’t take it.
One other thought I had concerning the lack of Omega 3 fatty acids is why that occurs in the first place?
In my case, I strongly suspect that it was directly caused by an unusually high amount of mycoplasma in my body. It was difficult to eliminate all of it, on my own, without pharmaceuticals; but I did eliminate it in the end.
I am testing that hypothesis now by not taking my Krill Oil for an extended period of time. It won’t conclusively prove anything, but will give me some evidence if I no longer need it
I think someone’s mycoplasma status should be considered by those who deal with depression patients. I hope a real researcher with better tools can determine if this hypothesis is true or not. Hard to draw solid conclusions from the experiments of one person on himself.
If you ask AI if mycoplasma uses fatty acids this is what it says. I already knew the answer but AI makes it easy for anyone to check:
Search Assist
Mycoplasma consumes nutrients within the cell culture media, including fatty acids, by outcompeting host cells for essential nutrients. This can lead to significant defects in cell physiology and metabolism.
I use Krill oil basically because it has a longer shelf life due to more antioxidants and I don’t mess with something that works for me. I am not 100% sure it is solely because of the Omega 3 content, but likely is.
I am not surprised that the fish oil works as well. I just hope more people with depression give it a try. The risk/reward ratio is basically zero risk. It might not work for everyone but even if it is ten percent it changes a lot of lives.
Rhodiola Rosea also can help. It doesn’t resolve my depression but there is a segment of people it does help. It does sharpen my thinking somewhat. I don’t regularly use it.
Great summary! So why are cardiologists now negative again? High doses can cause or exacerbate atrial fibrillation. Not really true. But you might want to discuss the vagotonic vs. vagolytic effects of low dose vs. high dose. And the benefit/risk there of.
It's safe to conclude that the massively increased consumption of industrially-produced seed oils with very high omega-6 content is causing (along with sugar) the current epidemic of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cancer.
Supplementation with omega-3s will not be enough to counteract this; seed oil consumption must be dramatically reduced. As far as I can tell, seed oils were never safety tested in humans, they were GRAS (generally recognized as safe). I sincerely hope HHS under RFK Jr. will compel safety testing for these and other GRAS products.
Also, while there is some linoleic acid (LA) in eggs, the amount isn't enough to cause alarm or to discourage egg consumption. Eggs from pasture-raised hens are a valuable source of protein, vitamins, cholesterol and fat. I eat 3-4 every day.
Nuts aren't all created equal; peanuts (and peanut butter) have very high LA content and should be avoided or limited in those with obesity and/or metabolic disease, including cancer.
This was an especially informative and valuable post, Dr. Marik. I’m deeply grateful for the knowledge you continue to share and for your steady, trusted presence in my inbox. Your work is truly appreciated.
- Jean
Thanks. I greatly appreciate the feedback.
Omega three in the form of Krill Oil completely resolved my multi decade bouts of depression. It isn’t the cure for all forms of depression, but certainly it could help many more.
That's cool
What dose do you find effective?
I started using Krill Oil when I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. I was looking for supplements that would reduce inflammation and Krill Oil was one of those. The Crohn’s battle is another long story I won’t get into.
I just use the recommended dose on the bottle which does the job for me. I have always used Dr. Mercola’s brand.
I can go a few days without it, but eventually the depression will reoccur if I don’t take it.
One other thought I had concerning the lack of Omega 3 fatty acids is why that occurs in the first place?
In my case, I strongly suspect that it was directly caused by an unusually high amount of mycoplasma in my body. It was difficult to eliminate all of it, on my own, without pharmaceuticals; but I did eliminate it in the end.
I am testing that hypothesis now by not taking my Krill Oil for an extended period of time. It won’t conclusively prove anything, but will give me some evidence if I no longer need it
I think someone’s mycoplasma status should be considered by those who deal with depression patients. I hope a real researcher with better tools can determine if this hypothesis is true or not. Hard to draw solid conclusions from the experiments of one person on himself.
If you ask AI if mycoplasma uses fatty acids this is what it says. I already knew the answer but AI makes it easy for anyone to check:
Search Assist
Mycoplasma consumes nutrients within the cell culture media, including fatty acids, by outcompeting host cells for essential nutrients. This can lead to significant defects in cell physiology and metabolism.
One tablespoon (15 mL) of Carlson fish oil works for most people, so I'm curious about the Krill oil dose specifically.
I use Krill oil basically because it has a longer shelf life due to more antioxidants and I don’t mess with something that works for me. I am not 100% sure it is solely because of the Omega 3 content, but likely is.
I am not surprised that the fish oil works as well. I just hope more people with depression give it a try. The risk/reward ratio is basically zero risk. It might not work for everyone but even if it is ten percent it changes a lot of lives.
Rhodiola Rosea also can help. It doesn’t resolve my depression but there is a segment of people it does help. It does sharpen my thinking somewhat. I don’t regularly use it.
Milk, butter and cheese from grass fed cows also contain omega-3 fats. We use Dubliner (cheddar type) cheese and Kerrygold butter exclusively.
I wrote a humorous post about being sick of supplements as a cancer patient
https://the30percent.substack.com/p/im-sick-of-supplements
Great post Margot!
Great summary! So why are cardiologists now negative again? High doses can cause or exacerbate atrial fibrillation. Not really true. But you might want to discuss the vagotonic vs. vagolytic effects of low dose vs. high dose. And the benefit/risk there of.
Yes you right.
I keep thinking of all those eating nuts and seeds and then having bouts of diverticulitis.
We grind 'em first just for that reason 🙂
I think the real issue for many of us is not just taking omega 3’s, but is in eliminating or greatly reducing omega 6’s in our diet!
Agree..
It's safe to conclude that the massively increased consumption of industrially-produced seed oils with very high omega-6 content is causing (along with sugar) the current epidemic of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cancer.
Supplementation with omega-3s will not be enough to counteract this; seed oil consumption must be dramatically reduced. As far as I can tell, seed oils were never safety tested in humans, they were GRAS (generally recognized as safe). I sincerely hope HHS under RFK Jr. will compel safety testing for these and other GRAS products.
Also, while there is some linoleic acid (LA) in eggs, the amount isn't enough to cause alarm or to discourage egg consumption. Eggs from pasture-raised hens are a valuable source of protein, vitamins, cholesterol and fat. I eat 3-4 every day.
Nuts aren't all created equal; peanuts (and peanut butter) have very high LA content and should be avoided or limited in those with obesity and/or metabolic disease, including cancer.
Great post, as always!
Richard; thanks I agree
Thank you, Dr. Marik. I take Omega 3 daily and will continue to do so.
Very informative, great post.