Hi Maylin,

I have been briefly introduced to the work of Brian Peskin. I read some of his work and listened to a podcast or two. I found a few of his stated facts and conclusions very absurd. It made me question his credibility and authority on the matter. I do not wish to speak ill of the man, he introduces an important debate to help us understand the use and possible benefit (or detriment, in his conclusion) of Omega-3 fatty acids. I would simply be cautious in accepting all of his conclusions. I read your article by Dr. Brownstein as well and had similar concerns in some of the conclusions that were drawn.

At some point I would like to spend the time to tackle ‘Professor’ Peskin’s argument. However, there is a lot of material to sift through and evaluate.

It’s important to do our research but sometimes we get a little lost in the details. I can say that rancidity of Omega-3s (which Brian Peskin overwhelmingly is concerned with) is a legitimate concern. That’s why buying a quality product is such a high priority. I was highly impressed with the manufacturing processes and quality of Minami Nutrition and gave their product a try. I cannot speak definitively in terms cardiovascular benefits but I can say for myself and many patients, family members and friends, that this brand of DHA and EPA (Omega-3 fatty acids derived from fish oil) provides very significant benefits in terms of emotional health, anxiety reduction and brain cognition.

I believe that Brian Peskin is making fish oil supplements sound far more scary and exaggerated (in an ominous way) than can be warranted. He tries to connect dots together with flimsy logic and dubious assumptions. He cites scientific literature but often draws his own conclusions, not the conclusions of the journal articles themselves.

Fish oil is safe enough to try. Choose a quality fish oil supplement and take it for a while. Does it make you feel better? Do you get better lab results from your blood work? If not then throw it out and stop wasting your money. If it does, then keep with it.

Until I can spend the time to fully broach the topic of Brian Peskin’s claims that is my best advice. I hope it helps!