Real Omega-3s vs. Fake Omega-3s: Only one burns fat

Most people taking omega-3s every single day are getting almost none of that fat burning or muscle building benefits they think they are. The reason why has nothing to do with the brand they're buying or how much they're taking. It has everything to do with the type. There are real omega-3s and then there are fake omega-3s. And the difference between the two is the difference between a metabolism that's actually working and one that keeps stalling no matter what you do. In this video, I'm going to break down exactly what that difference is, why it matters so much for fat loss and muscle health and what you need to do about it starting today. I'm Dr. Ashley Lucas. I'm the owner and founder of PhD Weight Loss and Nutrition, where we've helped over 12,600 people collectively drop more than 480,000 pounds nationwide. My goal with this channel is to give you the science-backed information you need to create real lasting change without the confusion, without the gimmicks or the overwhelm. Let's get into it. If you are eating fairly well, taking your supplements, trying to stay consistent, and you are still not seeing the fat loss you expect, still feeling inflamed, still noticing that your muscle just isn't holding the way that it used to, I want you to hear this. It may not be your effort that is failing you. It may be the source of your omega-3s. Most of us grew up hearing the same thing: eat more fish, take fish oil, get your omega-3s. And we did. We reached for the flaxseeds, the chia seeds, the walnuts, the plant-based supplements because we were told that plant-based was great in all ways. And we looked for the clean labels and we assumed that we were covered. But the research is telling a very different story. And once you understand it, you will never look at your supplement shelf the same way again. By the way, if you're already thinking this might explain why you've been stuck, that's exactly the kind of thing we dig into with every single client at PhD Weight Loss. We don't just hand you a plan. We look at what's actually getting in the way of your metabolism and we fix it. Check out this video right here to learn more. Here's what I want you to understand first. Your body does not run on good intentions. Unfortunately, it runs on chemistry. And when it comes to omega-3s, there are two completely different things getting called by the same name, and your body is really smart and treats them completely differently. The first type, the ones your body can actually use for fat burning and muscle health are called EPA and DHA. These are long-chain omega-3 fatty acids. They come from animal foods. Your richest sources are fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring, but you'll also find EPA and DHA in eggs and beef and some dairy, especially from pasture-raised and grass-fed animals. The second type is called ALA. This is the plant-based omega-3. It's what you're getting from flaxseeds and chia seeds and walnuts and I want to be clear, ALA is not harmful. It's fine. It even has some benefits. But when it comes to fat metabolism and muscle preservation, ALA is essentially metabolically inactive. Here is the part that most people don't know. Your body technically can convert ALA into EPA and DHA. On paper, it sounds like plant-based omega-3 should work just fine, right? Well, the conversion rate is really poor. So poor. We're talking somewhere in the range of 2 to 5% that for all practical purposes, if you are relying fully on plant sources alone, you are not getting the omega-3s your metabolism actually needs to do what we're asking it to do. This is not a willpower issue. This is not a discipline issue. This is biology doing exactly what biology does. Your body followed the rules. You just weren't given the full picture. You guys, let me give you the full picture here. Let's start with fat burning because this is where EPA and DHA really shine. When consume EPA and DHA consistently over time, these fatty acids get physically incorporated into your mitochondrial membranes. Your mitochondria, you probably heard of them before, are your fat-burning engines. They are the structures inside your cells that take stored fat and convert it into usable energy. When EPA and DHA become part of the membrane itself, they make those engines measurably more efficient. They stimulate creation of new mitochondria, so you literally end up with more fat-burning capacity at the cellular level. They increase the activity of a critical enzyme called CPT1. This is the enzyme responsible for shuttling fat into the mitochondria to be burned. Without enough CPT1 activity, fat just can't enter the mitochondria. It gets stored instead of burned. EPA and DHA change that equation. On top of that, EPA and DHA promote something called mitochondrial uncoupling. I know this sounds super technical, so let me explain it for just a second. Normally, when your mitochondria burn fuel, the energy produced gets captured and stored as ATP, the molecule your body uses for all of its functions. But when uncoupling happens, some of that energy gets released as heat instead of being stored. This is actually a good thing. I want you to think of it like revving your car engine while it's in park. The engine is burning fuel, but you're not going anywhere, and the heat is just like releasing into nowhere. In your body, that means your cells are burning more fuel, which we want actually, without necessarily increasing how much you're moving. This is one of the reasons that adequate EPA and DHA intake is associated with improved body composition, even in people who aren't dramatically changing their diet. This is one of the reasons that adequate EPA and DHA intake is associated with Improved body composition, so more muscle, less fat, even in people who aren't dramatically changing their diet or exercise, right? The machinery itself is just working better. Now, I was just visiting with a physician. He was really, really intelligent, and he looked at my brain and he said that my brain runs like a Ferrari. It wants to run, wants to run like a Ferrari, because I was complaining of brain fog, and I was complaining that even though I follow a really great diet, I just want to be able to think quicker, and I have to operate really quickly, like, you know, like a performance-based athlete with the amount of work that I'm doing and the number of team members who I'm leading. And then once I get off work, I'm with my 3 kids. Like, I have a lot of demands on my brain. And he was saying that in order for my brain to function most efficiently, and if I want to support my body composition as much as possible, I need to eat more fat. And the specific fats he was talking about were EPA and DHA. He told me specifically for my brain, I need to eat seafood, fish like fatty fish, salmon, mackerel, herring, the list I just gave you guys, also oysters, sardines. Oh my gosh, I'm trying to be really radically open-minded around this, but at least 4 times a week if I want to get adequate fats from whole food sources. So It's a thing. If you want your brain and your body to function as efficiently as possible, you've got to give it fats. Let's talk about muscle because this one is especially important for anyone over the age of 40. One of the biggest concerns I hear from clients when they come into PhD Weight Loss is that they're afraid of losing muscle while they lose fat. I mean, this is in the news all the time right now, and the fear is completely legitimate. Muscle is precious, you guys. It is metabolically active tissue, meaning that it burns calories even at rest. It protects your joints, it supports your posture, and it keeps your metabolism running at the level it needs to be running at. And as we age, holding on to muscle requires more intentional support for sure than it did when we were younger. If you are over the age of 40, one of the number one things you need to be focusing on is preserving your muscle. Here's what the research shows about EPA and DHA and muscle. These fatty acids don't directly build muscle on their own. What they do is make your muscles dramatically more responsive to protein. After a protein-rich meal, after a workout, your muscles are in a state of readiness to repair and rebuild. EPA and DHA amplify that anabolic, which means that building signal. This means that your muscles respond more aggressively to protein you're already eating. I mean, who doesn't want that? Studies in older adults have shown that omega-3 supplementation can increase the rate of muscle protein synthesis by more than 3 times compared to baseline values. 3 times, you guys. This is a massive difference. And the same effect has been replicated in younger adults as well. It's not an age-specific phenomenon, it's a cellular one. The mechanism is the same as the fat burning. EPA, DHA get incorporated into their membranes of your muscle tissue. EPA and DHA get incorporated into the membranes of your muscle cells, changing how those cells signal, how they respond to insulin, how efficiently they absorb amino acids, and how well they activate the key growth pathways that drive repair and adaptation. This process takes time. The membrane remodeling builds over 8 to 12 weeks of consistent daily intake, but begins within the first week, which is great, right? This is why starting and staying consistent is so much more important than worrying about perfect timing or the perfect dose. If you want to support your body's natural fat burning signals from the inside out, my GLP-1 Gut Longevity Plus is specifically designed to support the gut microbiome, which is where a lot of your metabolic signaling actually originates. It includes Akkermansia, which is a next-generation probiotic shown to support natural GLP-1 activity, plus ingredients that help with metabolic flexibility and healthy aging. Specifically, I added grapeseed extract and resveratrol, which are two really great antioxidants, and eriomin. It's a citrus bioflavonoid, which which really has been shown to increase your own natural GLP-1 levels. You can check that out at DrAshleyLucas.com. The link is also in the description. Just use code ASHLEY10 to get 10% off or 20% off your first subscription. So let me give you the practical breakdown. Real omega-3s, EPA and DHA from animal sources, directly support fat oxidation or fat burn. They preserve and build lean muscle. They reduce systemic inflammation and get incorporated into your cell membranes where they change the way your metabolism functions at a fundamental level. Plant-based omega-3s, ALA, like from flaxseeds or chia seeds or walnuts, they offer some fiber and some antioxidant benefits, but they do not deliver these same metabolic effects. The conversion is too poor and the chain length is too short. Your cells simply cannot use ALA the same way. So if you've just been checking that omega-3 box with a flaxseed supplement or a handful of walnuts, I'm not saying those things are bad, but I am saying that for fat loss and muscle preservation, they are not the tool for the job. So here's how to actually close this gap from food You want to aim for 2 to 3 servings of fatty fish per week. Things like I've already talked about, fatty fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, herring. Those are going to be your best sources if you tolerate and enjoy them. They really should be a regular part of your diet. So if you have a way of enjoying sardines, mackerel, herring, they're kind of a strong flavor. I feel you. Drop in the comments below and share your tips and tricks with me and with us. Beyond fish, quality animal foods like eggs, grass-fed beef, and full-fat dairy all contribute meaningful amounts of EPA and DHA. If you are supplementing, which many people need to do to hit the therapeutic range, look for products that list EPA and DHA separately on the label, not just the total fish oil. You want to know exactly how much EPA of EPA and DHA you're getting. The brands that I like, and I have no affiliation to this, I just want to make sure you get the ones that have been tested and are high quality: Carlson Fish Oil, Nordic Naturals, and Rosita if you like cod liver. So some options there. Now you want to make sure you know exactly how much EPA and DHA you're getting. The research supporting fat metabolism and muscle protein synthesis benefits Generally use 2 to 4 grams of combined EPA and DHA daily. Remember, if you add a supplement to your routine, make sure you always check with your doctor before adding that. Just want to make sure you do that. You want to give your body a full 8 to 12 weeks at that dose to experience the membrane remodeling effects. Consistency, you guys, consistency every single day is what moves is the needle for you here, not perfection around timing. You can habit stack it. So maybe if at lunch you're always in a specific area in your kitchen, put that supplement right there. If you always brush your teeth, which I hope you do by the way, you could put the supplement right by your toothbrush to remind you. Now for fish oil, I don't advise that you take it on an empty stomach, so that might not be the best habit stack, but you know what I mean. For fish oil, best to put the fish oil in the fridge. If you burp up like a rancid fish oil taste, that means that the supplement has gone rancid. Throw it away, try again. Now I want to close with something I say to all of our clients at PhD Weight Loss all the time. I see people come in who have been doing everything they were told to do— taking the supplements, eating what they believed were the right foods, trying so hard and still they're feeling like their body is working against them. And I want you to know what I know to be true after working with over 12,000 people. Your body is not broken. The body never makes a mistake, you guys. Your body is not your enemy. Your body is responding exactly as it should to the signals it has been receiving. When you start giving it EPA and DHA from quality animal sources, and when you do it consistently, you are giving your mitochondria the raw materials they need to become better fat-burning machines. You're giving your muscles the signal to hold on, to rebuild, to stay strong. You're working with your biology instead of against it. And that shift, that one shift, changes everything. Your body has not been resisting you. It has been waiting for the right fuel, right? The right fuel to run that Ferrari brain of yours. When you give it what it actually needs and watch what happens. If this video was helpful, which I hope that it was, please subscribe so you don't miss what's coming next. And remember, you've got to step up to make the change. Lead with your heart, train your mind, and do not negotiate with your body. I'll see you next time.