Dr Dave's Mega-O on Facebook

Yes, it's true. Dr. Dave's Mega-O arrives into the 21st century confidently and anything-but-covertly by engaging the Facebook medium for some of the same content you will find here, but with more photos and links. And, of course, you can see who else is a Dr Dave's Mega-O fan, perhaps learning their omega-3 truffle secrets and successes. Visit us! (www.facebook.com/pages/Dr-Daves-Mega-O/94609779602?ref=ts)

Two Dr. Dave's Mega-O tricks

As a physician with integrative medicine training, I am keen to the importance of nutrition in all aspects of health and healing. However, I also like to have a bit of fun with what I eat, and switch it up sometimes. Perhaps that is why my normal yogurt/cereal breakfast morphed into a two-truffle, yerba maté combination one day last week. It was wonderful, kept me satiated for a couple of hours and I could just feel those omega-3s coursing through my veins. Do this every day? Probably not. But, on occasion, this might be part of my regimen.

Trick two. I just spoke with one of my chocolatiers who reminded me that the ganache (inside) in our chocolates is creamier and tastier if left to warm up to room temperature. I recommend that Dr. Dave's Mega-O chocolates be refrigerated until eaten in order to preserve the omega-3s on the inside, but letting them warm up slightly before eating them would be just fine and might make them even more delicious! Try it!

A Good Omega-3 Summary

Europe is ahead of the omega-3 curve, both in research and in staying up-to-date about the latest news. This summary article about the state of affairs in omega-3 research and marketing is well done, pointing out what we know and where some of the holes are in our understanding. Give it a read and let me know what you think:

news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8543172.stm

Dr. Dave's Mega-O makes top of Valentine's Day list!

Valentine's Day is a coming together of many interesting themes. At the same time that we honor our "sweeties" with sweets and flowers, the symbol of the heart conjures up images of everlasting love. In more literal terms, gifts of chocolate (arguably dark chocolate and, this somewhat biased blog would add, chocolates enhanced with omega-3s) may be directly heart-healthy, helping lovers to years and years of health and happiness together.

It was an honor, then, for Dr. Dave's Mega-O chocolates to be the top of Karen Leland's Valentine's Day chocolate list as mentioned in the on-line news source, The Huffington Post. Some excellent chocolatiers are mentioned there (including Theo Chocolates and Gail Ambrosius, two with whom Dr. Dave's Mega-O works to create these omega-3 delights). Enjoy!

www.huffingtonpost.com/karen-leland/10-top-dark-chocolates-fo_b_455811.html

Omega-3s and Aging

Lifestyle and nutritional interventions to prevent or reverse aging are hot topics nowadays. Research abounds, and a wide variety of products and services are available to help people feel younger. In some cases, the proposed mechanism(s) seem plausible, while in other cases the marketing efforts outweigh the underlying science. Add in the emerging field of epigenetics, where influences of nutrition, lifestyle, and possible dietary supplements can conceivably cause changes in our chromosomes (DNA), and we finally have a way to explain, if not evaluate, some of these claims. As with many other nutrients, omega-3 research can involve both aging and epigenetics.

Two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal (online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703837004575013393566949312.html) featured the results from a study linking omega-3 levels in the blood to changes in the aging process. The study was published in JAMA, a well-known medical journal, and followed 608 people with stable coronary artery disease over five years, checking their blood DHA and EPA levels (the "marine" omega-3 fatty acids), and measuring the length of their DNA at the beginning and the end. As we age, the ends of DNA (called telomeres) gets deleted, so telomere length can be a crude measure of biological age; essentially, shorter telomeres mean that DNA is biologically older.

In this trial, the group of people with a higher level of omega-3s in the blood (presumably corresponding to a higher omega-3 intake), had longer telomeres and therefore were biologically younger. The researchers figured that this was due to antioxidant effects as well as effects on certain enzymes that helped to protect the DNA.

Another interesting thrust of the blossoming omega-3 research and one that beckons the question: further reason to eat Dr. Dave's Mega-O omega-3 enhanced chocolate?

New York Times article

As you have probably noticed, there are more and more articles about omega-3 fatty acids. From magazines, to well-known newspapers like the New York Times, many of the important health and ecological issues surrounding omega-3 fatty acids are being discussed. For example, last week this article appeared (www.nytimes.com/2009/12/16/opinion/16greenberg.html?_r=2&em), mentioning the unsustainable harvest of menhaden fish for many fish oils.

I take several lessons from this well-written article:

1) It is extremely important to critically evaluate any supplement you might be taking, with respect to quality, dose, ingredients, etc.

2) More specific to fish oil, I only recommend fish oil products from certain species of fish and with a strong environmental track record; for this reason, I chose to work with Pharmax LLC.

3) Algae oil continues to be a very interesting alternative to fish oil, avoiding all of these issues. Consider indulging in one of Dr. Dave's Mega-O Vegetarian flavors!

Happy Holidays!

The Wall Street Journal features omega-3's

An excellent review of omega-3s appears in today's Wall Street Journal. In the article entitled "Probing Health Benefits from Eating Omega 3s", writer Jeanne Whalen discusses the beneficial effects of fish oil and other omega-3 sources on inflammation, triglycerides and conditions like epilepsy. This article is essentially an affirmation of the omega-3 information we have know about for a few years, though the author leaves out one very important piece; the absolutely delicious and convenient Dr. Dave's Mega-O truffle option!