anti inflammatory foods

A tour around some Omega-3s

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When clients come for an initial consultation they often tell me they’re already taking an omega-3 supplement. Sometimes it’s on the advice of a physio for a painful knee, or a dermatologist for a skin complaint, an optometrist suggesting it may help protect against macular degeneration. Others have read an article, a book, or listened to a podcast explaining how certain omega-3 fatty acids might help heart or brain health, or their rheumatoid arthritis, or even increase life span.

This is all to some degree true.  Either there is evidence showing clear benefits, or at least promising possibilities.  Certainly good reason for these fatty acids to be on everyone’s radar.  If we understand what they are, and how they might support our health, we can make more informed choices about what we eat and whether or not supplementation is right for us.

So here’s a tour – shorter at least than a full-day seminar these fatty acids could easily warrant – focusing on two omega-3s which have held centre stage in the health world for several decades.

What’s in a name? Are omega-3s, fish oils, and EPA/DHA all the same?

Omega-3s are a family of fatty acids (= components of dietary fat).  The name “omega-3” comes from their chemical structure, and not, as someone once suggested, because there are three fatty acids in this family.
These three key family members all have tongue-twister names, thankfully shortened to acronyms:

  • ALA (alpha-linolenic acid): a plant-based omega-3 with excellent health benefits of its own (a topic for another time or else this blog will turn into a book).
  • EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid): two marine-based omega-3s that will be the focus of this tour, owing to their wide-ranging health benefits and the extensive body of research surrounding them.

Where do EPA and DHA come from?

Unlike cholesterol, our bodies can’t make EPA and DHA, which is why they’re called ‘essential’ fatty acids because we have to get them from our diet – from fish.

All fish contain some EPA and DHA because they either eat microalgae – the original source of these fatty acids – or they eat smaller fish, which have eaten microalgae.
Good news for plant-based eaters since microalgae supplements are widely available, and more food products are now being fortified with algae-based EPA and DHA.

Back to fish!  While most species contain some omega-3s, fatty fish are definitely the stars of the show. Cold-water fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, anchovy, sardine, and herring (SMASH, an easy acronym) store more fat, and therefore have more EPA and DHA than lean white fish. They need these fats for energy in cold waters and to keep their cell membranes supple.  EPA and DHA have similar effects in the human body, helping our arteries stay flexible and making blood ‘thinner’ or less sticky. Both actions are part of their bigger heart-protective role.

Given this marine link, it’s easy to see why the names EPA and DHA are often used interchangeably with “fish oils,” but I’m going to nitpick here:   fish oils contain EPA and DHA, but they also contain other nutrients such as vitamin D, vitamin A, and various minerals.
This is important when you’re supplementing.  If it’s specifically these two anti-inflammatory fatty acids, EPA and DHA, that you’re after, do check the supplement label.  A bottle may state “1000 mg fish oil”, but the ingredient list may show it only contains 200mg EPA and 120mg DHA.  Or, as someone recently discovered, as little as 18mg and 25mg.

How much do we need?

General recommendation is around 1000 mg per day, although some sources suggest lower, around 450mg, and some clinical trials use much higher doses.
Acording to Dr Bill Harris in this Zoe interview  an average serving of oily fish contains approx 1200 mg EPA & DHA, so, ideally, we should be eating some sort of oily fish around 4-5x weekly.

In the above podcast interview Dr Harris adds that DHA and EPA in supplement form can be in any ratio; a split like 600mg EPA to 300mg DHA is fine.
The reason for these varying ratios is due to research suggesting the two fatty acids have different qualities.  DHA may be more supportive for brain health, whilst EPA may be beneficial for mental health and depression.  EPA is also thought to have stronger anti-inflammatory effects and also might be better for heart health.
However, as a believer in the ‘whole being greater than the sum of its parts’, and given that fish and microalgae contain both these fatty acids, I usually like to recommend supplements with similar (ish) ratios.

The elephant in the room: contaminants

One concern with fish oil is heavy metal contamination. Mercury often gets the spotlight, but other heavy metals can accumulate too, depending on where fish live.

Large, long-living predatory fish at the top of the food chain tend to build up the highest levels (for example, tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel, and marlin), so, avoiding these will help reduce your toxic load.

Here are some useful links on safer fish choices (USA based):

US FDA: Advice about eating fish (PDF) Advice for pregnant women, but with a mercury section

And the NRDC fish guide

High-quality fish oil and microalgae supplements are normally screened for contaminants and companies will often detail their purification processes online.  If not, you should be able to email them and ask if these processes are in place.
You may find IFOS (International Fish Oil Standards) certification on some labels, which means there has been third-party testing for contaminants.

A quick aside here:  not all supplements are created equal.  Price will often reflect quality, although, saying that, you don’t need to buy the most expensive omega-3 supplement on the market.  There are good options that are more affordable.   More important is to be wary of random “special offers” online unless you know the product and its quality control.

As for microplastics and BPA, they are a huge problem we’ve created in our plastic-riddled world.
I read that some supplement companies are using ultrafiltration techniques regarding the removal of micro plastics, but I believe this is more to do with the water where sustainably farmed fish live.  I haven’t found reliable or consistent information about the guaranteed removal of BPA and micro plastics in fish oil supplements sourced from ocean fish.
If you have, please let me know!

Meanwhile, the best we can do is:

  • Minimise new plastic purchases.
  • Reuse and recycle where possible.
  • Stick to the safer oily fish choices mentioned above.
  • Choose supplement brands which are transparent about contaminant testing.
  • And finally, support your body with a high-antioxidant diet, that rainbow-on-your-plate, which is at least 30 different plants, herbs, and spices a week.

Inflammation:

The first time I learned about EPA and DHA at college, it was concerning their anti inflammatory support.
Inflammation is a natural process: we get an infection or we cut ourselves and subsequently have an acute inflammatory response that’s geared to clearing the pathogen, or making us want to remain immobile so we rest and heal.  A temporary inflammatory response.
Chronic inflammation, however, is a prolonged even ongoing response, and it plays a role in many of today’s illnesses, whether it’s something as harmless as hay fever or as serious as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and neurodegenerative disorders.    

There has been considerable research into the effectivement of omega-3s and auto-immune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, IBD, psoriasis and asthma.   Studies are promising but “still more research needed”.  However, there are convincing results regarding rheumatoid arthritis, with omega-3 supplementation improving joint health and lessening morning stiffness, tenderness and pain.   

Brain and eye health

About 60% of the brain is made of fat, with DHA forming a vital structural part.  It’s therefore no surprise that omega-3s play a significant role in brain health during all phases of life, from pregnancy, where they may lower the risk of preterm birth, to foetal brain development, right through to old age and their potential to lower the risk of dementia.

Here is a link disussing maternal DHA status during pregnancy & its impact on infant neurodevelopment, Nutrients, NLM, 2020

And brain health researcher and neuroscientist, Louisa Nicola, discusses Alzheimer’s and omega-3 near the end of this fascinating podcast with Dr Chatterjee

Dr Bryce Appelbaum, a neuro-ophthalmologist in the US, notes that “good levels of omega-3s are associated with larger hippocampal volume”, which translates to “improved memory, learning, reasoning, and enhanced neural communication, with a lower risk of vascular dementia”.

Interestingly, studies also suggest omega-3s, especially EPA, may support mood disorders such as depression.  The evidence is still mixed, hence ongoing research is needed, but consider how easy it would be to try increasing your oily fish intake to the recommended amount, and see if it helps your depression!

Regarding eye health, many opthalmologists recommend omega-3 supplementation for numerous eye conditions.  These range, a.o. from dry eyes and blurry vision to its possible benefits regarding glaucoma.  Given that the retina, at the back of our eyes, has the highest amount of omega-3s in our body, it makes sense that EPA and DHA play a supportive role in the health of our eyes.

Longevity

“Biological age reversal” has become such a buzzword, with a lot of focus on intermittent fasting, resistance training, nasal breathing, cold water immersion to name but a few.

EPA and DHA appear almost every time there’s a longevity discussion, whether in research, books, or podcasts.  This may be due to their anti-inflammatory role or heart and brain protection, or potential cancer-protective effects.  In addition, some studies have shown that omega-3s may play a role in the biology of our telomeres (the caps on our DNA), slowing cellular ageing, although results regarding this are inconsistent (which could be due, in part, to differing dosages and the types of supplements used, not to mention the exisiting variations in the participants’ diets).

If you’d like to learn more I’d recommend podcasts or interviews with some doctors considered experts in this field, such as Drs Peter Attia, Andrew Huberman, Steven Gundry, and Mohammed Enayat.

Heart health

Omega-3 supports the heart in many ways:  making blood less sticky and reducing clot risk, keeping vessels supple and improving blood flow, stabilizing heart rhythm, lowering triglycerides.

In recent years some studies have raised questions.  Results have been inconsistent or confusing, so more research is needed.  A meta-analysis of a number of clinical trials suggest slight risk of atrial fibrillation among high-risk heart patients taking a very high dose supplementation (3–4g daily).

This Zoe podcast interview with Dr Bill Harris (founder of OmegaQuant omega-3 tests)  gives a good summary of well-researched omega-3 benefits, some of which I’ve incorporated into this blog, as well as some interesting points he expresses relating to the above atrial fibrillation results.
Another link related to this AFib result is also here in this Omegamatters video.

In spite of inconsistencies to do with supplementation, dosages and effectiveness in some trials, when it comes to a heart-healthy diet it’s widely agreed upon that omega-3s from food, such as oily fish or microalgae fortified foods, are safe and very beneficial.

Gut support

Our microbiome influences so many aspects of our health, from our immune system to metabolic health and beyond, so it’s fascinating to read that omega-3s can exert positive changes in our gut.

This abstract discusses how a diet providing 600 mg omega-3 daily boosted production of butyrate, a beneficial short-chain fatty acid with well documented anti-inflammatory effects. (PubMed abstract)

The afore-mentioned benefits of omega-3s to mental health may not simply be about levels of DHA and EPA in our brain and nervous system, but also the beneficial changes these fatty acids bring about in our microbiome.  Another example of the gut-brain axis at work!

Other health benefits

Research is on-going in so many other areas of health, from reducing the risk of cancers to potentially supporting bone health or helping reduce the severity of headaches to name but a few.

  •  Here an article regarding breast cancer  based on the DO-HEALTH trial of over 2000 older people, showing omega-3s’ potential in lowering the risk of breast cancer.  “Vitamin D, omega-3s and exercise may reduce cancer risk in older people”  Breastcancer.org, 2022
  •  And “The influence of PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) on the deveopment of skin cancers,  Diagnostics, NLM, 2021
  •  And this publication from the Medical Journal of Oncology, looking at the “Benefits of a high omega 3 and low omega 6 diet over a year in reducing a biomarker for prostate cancer progression and metastasis…”; ASCO publications, Medical journal of Oncology 2024
  • Despite observational studies suggesting benefits of omega-3s regarding osteoporosis, clinical trials show mixed results.  Nonetheless, this paper makes for an interesting read indicating how a higher omega-3 intake was inversely associated with osteoporosis risk, Frontiers in Nutrition, NLM 2025.
  •  And here, a video clip on headaches  by Dr Huberman, discussing how omega-3s may help “multiple types of headaches” and reduce their frequency and intensity.  Dr Huberman has many links to omega-3 benefits if you want to do one of his omega-3 tours!

Testing your levels

NHS doesn’t offer omega-3 testing, and medical professionals will probably give you a blank look if you ask to be tested.
There is a home kit test available in UK, The OmegaQuant Index test, founded by Dr Bill Harris (and no, I have no affiliations!)  It’s an easy finger-prick test available to order online, which measures red blood cell levels of EPA and DHA.
The recommended test result is  8% or higher, however average levels are often very poor, closer to 3–5%.  As processed food intake has increased, the consumption of fish appears to have declined.

We are all unique, and will absorb and utilise nutrients differently.  If a group of us took the same daily dose of omega-3s, our blood levels would likely vary.  For this reason it’s useful to have a base line so you know YOUR levels so you can then decide whether you need to increase SMASH fish, or add a supplement or simply continue with your current diet.

Rounding off the tour

This was never meant to be an omega-3 world tour, so I’ll stop now.

There is no magic bullet to better health, no single pill or one food.  However,  with all the comprehensive research and promising outcomes in so many different areas of health, I hope this tour has highlighted how these two omega-3s are worth having in your life.

 

References

  • NIH: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Information Sheet
  • Frontiers in Nutrition (2025): Insight into the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on gut microbiota
  • ScienceDirect (2016–2024): Omega-3s in neuroprotection and inflammation
  • BMJ Medicine (2024): Regular use of fish oil supplements and cardiovascular outcomes
  • NED Nutrition Evidence Database (2020): Effect of Omega-3 on cardiovascular outcomes
  • UK Biobank (2025): Fish oil supplementation and atrial fibrillation risk
  • Nature (2025): Omega-3s and biological ageing
  • MyVisionFirst.com: Which supplements to take for vision
  • American Heart Association Journals (2023): Are you getting enough omega-3s?
  • Huberman Lab resources
  • Healthspan (2024): Omega-3 benefits for heart, brain, and eye health
  • British Heart Foundation (2024): Omega-3 foods and your heart
  • Zoe Podcast (2025): Omega-3s and brain health
  • The Longevity Paradox, Dr Steven Gundry

 

Cold and flu remedies

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Frosty cold days last week here in Dorset has prompted me to share a few of my favourite flu and cold remedies, a round-up of some easy herbals and nutrients.
Whether it’s a cold, flu or Covid there are loads of studies and articles showing how the nutrients below may work, either by shortening the duration of the infection, or by cutting down on the severity – or both.

Garlic (allium sativum)

Most of us will have a garlic bulb or two in the kitchen, ready to use if we suddenly feel a scratchy throat or the sniffles coming on.  Garlic has so much science behind it, inhibiting viral reproduction, boosting our natural killer cells that help fight infection.  Such an effective antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral.

It’s the allicin component in garlic that is responsible for its health benefits – and for its intense smell!  Interestingly, this allicin is only released when you cut into the clove (which makes me often ponder about roasted whole bulbs; delicious, but not much antimicrobial action left).

Maximum benefit is when you eat garlic raw, but that won’t always work in daily life.
When cooked, some of that allicin might remain, especially if you keep to a light, quick steam, however, garlic’s Vit C, B6 and mineral content will be reduced, literally cooked away.

Add a clove or two of garlic to stews or soups at the last minute, just before serving, to keep as many of these benefits alive.
If you’re thick with cold or flu try a garlic broth, pouring hot water over a squeezed or chopped clove, adding grated ginger and miso paste, so easy to digest.

If colds are doing the rounds, a preventative drink to make is chopping 4 garlic cloves in a large preserve jar and topping with boiling water.  Steep the garlic for about ½ hour then add lemon juice and honey, and drink warm as a ‘tea’ up to 3 or 4 times throughout the day.

Precautions:
Very high amounts, eg. a whole RAW bulb (unlikely, but good to be aware!),  can cause digestive upset, heartburn, possibly diarrhoea.

Garlic can also increase bleeding so if you’re on an anti coagulant medication or have a bleeding disorder stick to minimal amounts in cooking, and, if planning to have surgery, avoid for at least 5 days beforehand.
Garlic may interfere with some chemo or HIV drugs as it can influence liver enzymes which help the metabolism of the drug you’re taking.

If pregnant, eating garlic in meals is fine, but high doses as a capsule or tablet are not generally recommended.

Ginger (zinziber officialis)

This is my go-to for everything.  Ginger soothes aches and pains, helps alleviate nausea and digestive problems and is a great anti inflammatory.  With a sore throat, drinking hot water with chopped ginger, lemon and honey will be soothing and supportive as it’s an effective antimicrobial.  Ginger is also warming if you have chills, and it’ll help break a sweat with a fever.

The active ingredients are the gingerols, the main phenols, and shogaols, which inhibit respiratory pathogens and suppress the production of cytokines – chemicals we produce which lead to inflammation.

I like to start my day with chopped ginger in hot water, a herbal ‘tea’ I steep for 10 minutes, topping it up throughout the day and drinking either hot or cold.  This summer I made ginger ice cubes, squeezing grated ginger into the ice tray, then adding the cubes to some cold water and pomegranate juice, delicious.

Like garlic, ginger adds flavour to stews, stir fries and soups and will retain more of its health benefits if added at the last minute.
Ready-bought ginger teabags have very little gingerol in them, however dried ginger is apparently high in these beneficial phenols.  Important to find a reputable source; I recommend Steenbergs herbs and spices online store here in UK.

When full of cold or flu you may not feel like eating, however replacing the water lost from sweating is important.  The above miso broth is great as a light, nutritious and hydrating meal or snack.

Precautions:
Ginger is a safe tuber/spice although high amounts may cause reflux…or, bizarrely, nausea (which, in normal amounts, it helps prevent).
Again, like garlic, it has a mild anti coagulant effect, hence if you’re on aspirin or have a bleeding disorder avoid large amounts.
Because ginger can increase bile production large amounts could potentially aggravate gall stones especially in supplement form.

Ginger in food is safe during pregnancy and can help with morning sickness.

Thyme (thymus vulgaris)

Thyme is another herb you might have growing in the garden, or in a pot in the kitchen.  It’s easily found in most supermarkets.  Thyme has a long history in the Mediterranean as a traditional medicinal plant that’s very effective for coughs and colds.

Not only does thyme contain vitamins and minerals (like garlic and ginger) but its essential oil, thymol, found in the leaves, has powerful antimicrobial properties, especially for upper respiratory infections, working well as an extectorant (clearing mucus).

Add fresh or dried thyme to stews, soups, stir fries, or use it in an infusion.  Add one tablespoon of the herb to hot water, let steep for 15 minutes, then sieve out the leaves and either drink like that or add a little honey and/or lemon.  With an active infection, sip throughout the day to soothe coughs and calm down inflammation in the airways.

Precautions:

If you have any mint family allergies, don’t use it.
Large doses – far greater than the amounts I’ve mentioned – can also cause nausea.

Thyme essential oil should never be ingested.

Thyme in food, fresh or dried, during pregnancy is safe, but, as it may cause uterine stimulation it’s best not to infuse/drink the above thyme tea.

Echinacea purpurea

Echinacea is an excellent broad spectrum antiviral as well as an antibacterial and antifungal.  Often used to support upper respiratory infections, it works a.o. by stimulating the immune system through its bioactive phytochemicals.

Available in tincture or tablet form as well as echinacea herbal tea. The latter, however, isn’t nearly as well absorbed or immune effective.

It can be taken as a preventative, but I don’t recommend long term supplementation.  When I travel I’ll often pack a small bottle of tincture so I can stop a cold in its tracks, dosing 30 drops 3 or 4x daily (this depends on the strength of the tincture, so check the label)

As a preventative, short term, 20-30 drops once a day or 1000 mg tablet is generally the recommended dose.

Precautions:

Due to echinacea stimulating the immune system, anyone with an auto immune disease should be cautious as it could potentially cause a flare.  I’ll generally not recommend echinacea to auto immune clients unless they tell me they’ve tried it in the past and not had problems. There are enough other natural food-based antivirals to use.

If you have an allergy to ragweed or daisies, be aware that the flowering part of the Echinacea plant – not the root – can cause problems.

Ascorbic acid, aka Vitamin C

Vitamin C is probably the most researched nutrient as far as immune support goes, albeit a controversial one when it comes to dosage.

Again, like garlic and ginger, Vitamin C is shown to reduce the duration and severity of colds and flu.  It improves the function of phagocytes – a type of white blood cell that engulfs viruses and bacteria in the blood stream -, and lymphocytes, another white blood cell which fights pathogens.
It also reduces inflammation by lowering the afore-mentioned pro-inflammatory cytokines and is a fab anti oxidant (which is a substance that protects cells from free radicals generated by infection, air pollution, stress, poor diet, smoke, pesticides…)

Foods containing good amounts of Vitamin C are often red or orange-coloured, like strawberries, papaya, mango, persimmons, oranges (all citrus in fact), acerola cherries (Malpighia emarginata), cantaloupe, kiwi fruit, guava, blackcurrants, bell peppers, chili peppers, tomatoes, but also green veg like broccoli, kale, parsley, Brussel sprouts…
Adding these vegetables to your diet when you have a cold will be beneficial overall, but they won’t have the therapeutic effects of lowering cold severity and duration that a supplement will offer.

Recommended dose for prevention, tablets or powder, for adults is c 500 – 1000 mg daily.

With an active cold or flu it’s safe to double this amount, and many will add that it’s safe to take 1000 mg every 3 hours, up to 10,000mg daily.  This is very individual and research studies, pro and contra, are not always reliable or accurate, hence the controversy continues.  Many swear by higher dose C.. and just as many don’t!

Saying all that, a useful indication that you may be over-supplementing is if you reach a point where stools become loose and possibly your gut will feel ‘off’.
Not dangerous, as the body will eliminate what it doesn’t need of this water-soluble vitamin, however, it’s a useful and sure indicator that whatever dosage you reached was too high for you; simply reduce the dose next time, or try buffered Vit C which is easier on the gut.
Also, don’t panic if your urine is yellow as that is the colour of Vit C leaving your body.

Precautions:

Kidney stones (esp oxalate stones) can be worsened by high Vitamin C supplementation.   High doses may also interact with some chemo drugs and with glucose readings.

During pregnancy high doses are not recommended.

Zinc:

This trace mineral is another effective antioxidant which also works a.o. as an antiviral, inhibiting replication and blocking the virus entering the cells, especially rhino viruses.

Zinc lozenges are particularly useful for a scratchy throat.  Best to start at the first onset of symptoms, sucking 3-4 over the course of the day, however not on an empty stomach as it can make you feel nauseous.  Supplement doses vary from 15mg – 60mg, depending on the brand.

Foods containing zinc include oysters (high!), crustaceans, red meat, chicken, seeds and nuts – especially pine nuts – dairy products and some fortified cereals.  Greens and mushrooms a.o. contain some zinc as well, however none of these foods will have the same therapeutic effects as supplementation.

As a preventative in the cold season, one tablet once daily, however if you’re taking a multi be aware of the amount of zinc in it so you’re not exceeding c 60mg.

Precautions:

Zinc can interfere with some medications such as cholesterol-lowering drugs if you take high doses. Zinc has been shown to be toxic at levels around 150mg.
Many zinc nasal sprays have been removed from the market as they were shown to lead to permanent loss of smell.
Chronic overuse can cause something called zinc-induced copper deficiency anaemia which results in neurological symptoms, so treat zinc with respect!

And there we go, my round-up of cold and flu remedies which I hope you’ll find useful.

There are of course more out there such as eucalyptus oil, so good for inhaling, or black elderberry syrup.  If you have any other tried and tested favourites please share here below or on my social media pages.

Wishing you all a cold-free festive season wherever you are in the world x

(at the moment I would happily be sitting in this chair below!)