David PerlmutterPresident,, Perlmutter Health Center · Board-Certified Neurologist | Functional Medicine Pioneer | #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author | International Speaker | Host of The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

Do You Really Need Omega-3s?

8 Jun 2026 · 1 min

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1:20

In this video Dr. David Perlmutter emphatically states that omega‑3 fatty acids, specifically DHA, are essential for brain health. He highlights DHA as the most important omega‑3, recommending wild salmon as the top food source while warning that farm‑raised Atlantic salmon lacks natural DHA. For those who cannot obtain sufficient DHA from diet, he advises taking a supplement that provides 1,000–1,500 mg of DHA per day, emphasizing the need to read product labels to confirm actual DHA content. He cites Dr. Martha Clare Morris’s research linking higher DHA levels to a reduced risk of dementia, underscoring DHA’s role in a brain‑supportive nutritional stack.

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Do you need omega-3 fatty acids? The answer is yes. I'm not holding back, the answer is yes. Now the question is, do you need it as a supplement or can you get it from food and what is the best food? Well, I think from my perspective, one of the most important omega-3s that we can consume is DHA, and by far and away my favorite food as it relates to getting DHA is salmon, and not necessarily cultivated salmon or farm-raised salmon. And how can you tell? Ask if it's Atlantic salmon. You know, there's no natural wild Atlantic salmon anymore, so wild salmon would be a good choice. But by and large, I think most people would do well to take an omega-3 supplement that contains a lot of DHA. I take about 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams each day of DHA, and that doesn't necessarily mean 1,000 or 1,500 milligrams of the fish oil supplement. You have to read the label. See how much DHA it contains, adjust the dosage based upon that. That's what's really good for your brain. We go way back to the work of Dr. Martha Clare Morris, who made a clear connection between DHA levels in the body and risk for dementia. So DHA is a very important part of the brain-related stack, and certainly want to eat foods that are rich in DHA, like salmon.