Omega-3s: Food, Supplements, and Brain Protection with Dr. Ed Park

Hello friends,

Dr. Ed Park is the person I call when a new omega-3 study comes out—or when a headline makes the research sound more definitive than it really is.

Ed and I first connected through our shared family experiences with neurodegenerative disease. My mother had mild cognitive impairment, and Ed’s father developed early-onset Parkinson’s and later Lewy body dementia. Those experiences led both of us toward prevention and brain health.

In this week’s episode, we unpack new research on omega-3s, ApoE4, and cognitive decline. We also go back to the basics: what DHA, EPA, and ALA are, why omega-3s matter for the brain, and how much we may actually need.

We discuss why people with ApoE4 may process omega-3s differently, what an omega-3 index can tell you, and why dose, form, timing, and overall health all matter.

I take omega-3s myself, but I also test my levels. I believe supplements should be used strategically and knowing my level assures me that I’m getting enough—but not too much—omega-3s.

Towards the end of the episode, Ed and I discuss emerging research about creatine and brain health, and we’ll tell you how we are approaching it.

I hope this conversation gives you a clearer way to think about omega-3-rich foods, testing, and supplementation and creatine as part of a broader brain health plan.

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Watch the full episode or catch up on Season 1 on Substack, on YouTube, or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Edward S. Park, Ph.D., is the Founder and President of NeuroReserve. Ed has over 15 years of experience in the research and development (R&D) of biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and nutritional therapeutics. Most importantly, his father struggled with Parkinson’s disease and dementia for almost two decades before passing away. The impact this experience on his family, which is similar to the experiences faced by so many others today, is the motivation for NeuroReserve.

Before NeuroReserve, Ed led development of nutrition-enabling therapeutics for people with severe under-nourishment caused by cystic fibrosis, short bowel syndrome, pancreatic cancer, and preterm birth. At Alcresta Therapeutics, he successfully directed the end-to-end R&D, testing, regulatory approval (U.S. F.D.A. and E.U.), and launch of RELiZORB, the first-of its-kind combination-enzyme-cartridge to support absorption of critical long-chain polyunsaturated fats for the most malnourished populations.

Earlier, Ed worked with major pharmaceutical and health care companies as an R&D advisor with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Health Industries Advisory, charting development paths for vaccines, cancer therapeutics, clinical genomics operations, and in vitro diagnostics. Before PwC, Ed worked at Altus Pharmaceuticals (later Alnara Pharmaceuticals) in its commercial and development teams, where he led evaluation of early- and clinical-stage therapeutics for rare diseases, pediatric growth failure, hyperoxaluria and kidney stones, and chronic pancreatitis. Ed started his therapeutics career as an R&D associate at Bristol Myers Squibb.

Ed holds a Ph.D. in chemical-biomolecular engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he was awarded a U.S. Department of Defense – National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research. He also holds a M.S. and M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Enrollment is open! I am especially excited about launching Foundation 2, the module of the course that delves into the brain-metabolism connection. With this course, I am able to give you the most up-to-date brain health science, sometimes even before I publish it in my Substack newsletter. Plus, step-by-step food and kitchen guidance and a community learning alongside you. I look forward to seeing everyone on August 3 for a live Q and A.

Learn month to month, or purchase the whole course. Just for BHK Podcast listeners, get $50 off the whole course by using this link.

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Paying subscribers: Scroll to the end of this post for your bonus materials for this week’s episode:

Annie & Jenny’s Review and Do summary: key takeaways from what we learned from Ed + our curated list of action items.

I am grateful to have the support of two of the most trusted brands in brain health: NeuroReserve and Better Brain. Our missions in brain health are aligned—to give you the tools to age with the healthiest brain possible.

This podcast is proudly supported by our founding sponsor, BetterBrain—the world’s first brain health and dementia prevention program covered by insurance. A number of my readers and retreat attendees have gone through BetterBrain, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive. People love the thoroughness of the testing, the quality time with a coach, and walking away with a real, personalized action plan. I went through it myself and found it just as valuable. Use code AFENN50 for $50 off your assessment, which brings the cost of a full brain health biomarker panel down to $39; most people pay $0 out of pocket for the coaching sessions. Check them out at BetterBrain.com/annie.

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This podcast is also proudly supported by NeuroReserve, a brain health nutrition company dedicated to bringing us high-quality, science-backed supplements—including Relevate—a brain-specific blend of omega-3 fatty acids, BHK Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, and Revanta, a pure-grade creatine. These products have earned a spot in my daily routine—I think of them as brain health self-care! You can learn more about NeuroReserve’s commitment to brain health and research-backed nutritional products at NeuroReserve.com, and use code BHKPodcast for 10% off.

Order Relevate and/or Revanta Creatine

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Dr. Ed Park is Annie’s go-to expert for making sense of omega-3 research. In this episode, they break down what omega-3 fatty acids do in the brain, why DHA and EPA matter, and how food, supplements, genetics, and aging may affect how much we need.

They also examine two recent studies that generated conflicting headlines about omega-3 supplements and cognitive decline. Ed explains what the studies actually found, their important limitations, and why the broader body of research remains encouraging.

You’ll learn how ApoE4 may affect the brain’s ability to transport and use DHA, why the form and dose of an omega-3 supplement matter, and how an omega-3 index test can help guide a more personalized approach. Annie and Ed also discuss practical intake targets, when supplementation may be useful, and why omega-3s should be considered as one part of a broader brain-healthy lifestyle.

They also unpack the latest research on creatine and the brain, including its role in brain energy and why researchers are studying its potential benefits for cognitive aging and neurodegenerative disease.

00:00 Meet Dr. Ed Park
02:20 A shared connection to neurodegenerative disease
05:26 Omega-3s explained
11:26 Why the brain needs DHA and EPA
15:59 Plant-based omega-3s
17:17 APOE4 and omega-3 metabolism
22:33 What the new PreventE4 study found
33:14 Do omega-3 supplements accelerate cognitive decline?
38:00 A different finding from the same research database
41:17 How much omega-3 do you need?
44:04 Omega-3s for people with APOE4 or other risk factors
45:32 Why supplement form and DHA-to-EPA ratio matter
47:51 How to test your omega-3 levels
52:10 Can you take too much?
53:49 The story behind NeuroReserve and Relevate
59:22 A new omega-3 product from NeuroReserve
1:02:54 Creatine for muscle and brain health
1:07:37 A more strategic approach to supplementation

Neuroreserve

NeuroReserve: Use code BHKPodcast for 10% off:

• Relevate: a brain-specific blend of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA and EPA) and nutrients based on the Mediterranean and MIND diets

• Revanta Creatine: a highly dissolvable pure-grade creatine monohydrate

• BHKEVOO: our recent harvest of extra-virgin olive oil—organic, high in polyphenols, and sources from family friends in Tuscany, Italy

Better Brain: Use code AFENN50 for $50 off your assessment, which brings the cost of a full brain health biomarker panel down to $39; most people pay $0 out of pocket for the coaching sessions. Check them out at BetterBrain.com/annie.

I’m so grateful to Dr. Ed Park for sharing his story. I’m now joined by my co-host and producer, Jenny Shilling.

Jenny: What an inspirational story about building a company to solve a big health problem.

Annie: And I’d love to hear your takeaways.