Omega-3 fatty acids are often praised as essential for brain health, heart function, and overall well-being—but how much do we really know about them? In this episode, we explore their benefits, best food sources, and the truth about supplements. Are you getting enough? What’s the difference between EPA, DHA, and ALA? And do plant-based sources measure up? Tune in as we break it all down, separating fact from fiction to help you make informed choices for your health.

We cover:

• 2:45 Deep science dive into omega-3 fatty acids and why they are important
• 9.00 Does the omega-3 and omega-6 ratio matter?
• 13:25 Is canola oil good for you?
• 15:00 Food sources of omega-3
• 15:15 Best fish sources of EPA and DHA
• 18:10 Purslane weed containing omega-3
• 20:00 Conversion rate of ALA into EPA/DHA
• 22:00 Is frozen crumbed or battered fish goof for you?
• 26:00 Would you recommend those who don’t eat fish of a certain age to supplement with EPA & DHA?
• 28:00 Should we be concerned about mercury levels in omega-3 supplements and fish?
• 29:00 Pregnancy, fish and mercury
• 31:30 What is the intake of omega-3 in Australia and globally? What is the optimal omega-3 intake?
• 34:00 Optimal omega-3 for heart disease, dementia, rheumatoid arthritis

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety-home/safe-levels-of-chemicals-in-food/mercury-levels-fish/

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

"18+ years are consuming between 1.2-1.6g/day of ALA & 200-500mg of EPA/DHA/DPA. The nutrient reference values (targets) for ALA for men is 1.3g/day and for women is 0.8g/day. For EPA/DHA/DPA, 160mg/day men and 90mg/day women. Based on this we are meeting them but we need more information for how much we actually need for good health; which is a little bit different to how much people need if they have a health condition like arthritis."

“People talk about the ratio of omega -6 to omega -3 being about 10-12:1 in America. And in Australia they say it's sort of somewhere between And 7-5:1. So that is quite a contrasting difference. The types of oils that used in Australia are lower in omega -6 than what we find in America. And that's because in America they rely a lot more on soybean oil as one of their domestic oils.”

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Are you unknowingly missing key nutrients in your diet? Dr Carlene Starck joins us to break down her Priority Nutrients research, revealing the vitamins and minerals Australians and New Zealanders are lacking. From energy to immune health, these hidden micronutrient inadequacies could be holding you back. Tune in to find out what your diet might be missing—and how to fix it!

We cover:

• 3:00 Why this research was undertaken
• 6.00 Common nutrient inadequacies in Aus/NZ
• 8.00 Protein intake target - should it be higher?
• 9:45 Are the Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs) outdated?
• 11:45 Nutrients that have Suggested Dietary Targets (SDTs)
• 13:15 Methodological approach of the research
• 29:10 Key findings from the research
• 31:30 Vitamin D deficiency in Aus/NZ
• 32:30 Calcium targets, absorption and what do we know to be true about calcium and bone health and calcium and fractures.
• 39:20 Calcium bioavailability - how is this researched?
• 41:00 How to get vitamin D from food?
• 45:00 How and when to get your vitamin D status assessed
• 47:30 Omega-3 intake
• 50:00 Interesting omega-3 findings
• 51:30 Adult men - the forgotten group?
• 53:10 Teenagers - 15 inadequate nutrients!
• 54:00 Findings in females 19-45 years
• 56:20 How to know if you are not getting enough of certain vitamins and minerals?
• 60:00 How does exercise impact vitamin and mineral needs?
• 62:45 How can someone maintain healthy eating habits while still enjoying what they eat?
• 65:45 How can your research findings be used in the real world?

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

“We know that calcium intake is low, what we didn’t know was just how low and how severe that inadequacy was.”

“It looks like higher intakes of vitamin C are really beneficial of 150-200mg/day. It doesn’t sound very much when you can go and buy vitamin C tablets which are 1000mg/day but the key with that is our body can’t absorb all of that at one time.”

“People are only over-consuming in nutrients of concern.”

“How we live, where we live, our lifestyles, our overall diet composition, how much exercise we are doing; all of these things really effect magnesium intake.”

“Your body is not going to run out of calcium in terms of your blood levels. But what happens is when you don’t have enough calcium in your blood it will start to leach out of your bones.”

“Vitamin D intake will help to decrease fracture risk. We need sufficient vitamin D to make sure we can adequately absorb calcium.”

“Iron, vitamin D, calcium and the omega-3s, if you are exercising and very active. If you are concerned about priority nutrients those are the four. The other one that is also highlighted is selenium, that’s because it has antioxidant function. Selenium and vitamin E also work together, so getting both of these in.”

Reference
Starck CS, Cassettari T, Beckett E, Marshall S, Fayet-Moore F. Priority nutrients to address malnutrition and diet-related diseases in Australia and New Zealand. Front Nutr. 2024 Mar 13;11:1370550. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1370550. PMID: 38544756; PMCID: PMC10966131.

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A deep dive into the science of the menstrual cycle, nutrition, and exercise. Evidence-based chats on hormones, training, and fuelling your body right!

We cover:

• 3:00 Underrepresentation of females in the scientific literature
• 6:00 Why a narrative review on dietary energy intake across the menstrual cycle was completed
• 7:15 Description of the evidence-base on the effect of the menstrual cycle phase on energy intake
• 9:10 Phases of the menstrual cycle
• 11:05 The effect of the menstrual cycle phase on energy intake
• 14:00 The effect of certain foods and macronutrients across the menstrual cycle
• 17:00 Any other interesting pieces of research since the 2023 narrative review
• 18:35 What else could be driving the increase/decrease of energy across the menstrual cycle?
• 19:10 Effect of the menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance and physiology
• 22:00 Katherine’s key message for women
• 24:00 Katherine’s thoughts on some of Dr Stacy Sims messages
• 29:15 Does timing of post-workout snack/meal matter?
• 32:00 Training across the menstrual cycle
• 35:00 How will this field of research progress over the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years!

One-liners you don’t want to miss:

"That second half I guess you could say, of the menstrual cycle after ovulation, energy intake is higher and there seems to be a little bit more of a consistent pattern, that energy intakes higher in that luteal phase than in the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle.”

“Try and have the unprocessed foods - fruits and vegetables, so basically increasing your micronutrient intake (your minerals and vitamins) could help alleviate some of those symptoms that might get around menstruation.”

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