A few years ago, I discovered that a well-known vegan doctor who sells DHA supplements had secretly designed and run a study to “prove” that vegans are deficient in omega-3s.
The problem? His own data showed the opposite — vegans actually had higher average omega-3 blood levels than non-vegans.
Before publishing, he quietly removed his name from the paper — because if the journal disclosed that the study was done by someone selling the supplement, people might have said, “Wait… isn’t this like the egg industry telling us eggs are heart-healthy?”
In this re-release, I show how that study — and others like it — helped create the modern obsession with “healthy fats” in the vegan world, even though the pioneers of plant-based medicine (McDougall, Esselstyn, Ornish, Pritikin, Kempner) reversed disease on low-fat, starch-based diets, and advised keeping all fats very low.
This isn’t just about one doctor. It’s about how commercial bias quietly shapes what people believe about health — even inside our own movement.
Here are links from the original 2019 video I’m replaying:
Links mentioned in this video:
DHA not recommended for heart disease:
https://newsroom.heart.org/news/fish-oil-supplements-may-help-prevent-death-after-a-heart-attack-but-lack-evidence-of-cardiovascular-benefit-for-the-general-population
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000482
Dr. Fuhrman sells DHA in 2002:
VITAL STUDY: DHA DOES NOT PREVENT CANCER:
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1811403
2005: Dr. Fuhrman selling his own brand of DHA:
https://web.archive.org/web/20051030033609/http://www.drfuhrman.com/shop/supplements.aspx
Dr. Fuhrman’s DHA Study:
https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-5614(14)00076-4/fulltext
Dr. Greger’s video promoting Dr. Fuhrman’s DHA study:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-vegans-take-dha-to-preserve-brain-function/
Dr. Fuhrman Touting his DHA Study:
Go to 0:54- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgtDFnWICM8
Go to 1:55- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPKI5zS9Vfc
Go to 1:06:40- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV7Z3IVdHXU
Quest Diagnostics – “Optimal Omega 3 = greater than 3.2%”
OmegaQuant says 8% and above – optimal
Dr. Fuhrman denies involvement in his DHA study:
Go to 16:55:
https://www.facebook.com/LilliansRadioShow/videos/301812637408213/UzpfSTg4OTk5OTkwMzU5OjEwMTYxOTA4MTM0MzY1MzYw/
Go to 34:58:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJLNGEp4FMI
45:26
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXUGVZJyz8Y
Dr. Fuhrman’s public posts stating he is a “principle researcher” of the DHA study:
https://web.archive.org/web/20120331112751/https:/www.nutritionalresearch.org/survey/
My newsletter showing Dr. Fuhrman was principal investigator in DHA stud:
https://vegsource.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/archive/news/20120410222503/
VRG post showing Dr. Fuhrman was principal investigator in DHA stud:
https://www.vrg.org/blog/2012/04/13/vegan-seniors-sought-for-dha-study/
Jack Norris RD post showing Dr. Fuhrman was principal investigator in DHA study:
http://jacknorrisrd.com/study-on-omega-3s-looking-for-older-vegans/
2012 Updates list Fuhrman as principal investigator on study website:
https://web.archive.org/web/20121012195201/https://www.nutritionalresearch.org/survey/
Full text of Dr. Fuhrman’s DHA study:
https://www.clinicalnutritionjournal.com/article/S0261-56141400076-4/fulltext
Articles on Ghost Authoring as scientific misconduct:
https://academic.oup.com/painmedicine/article/16/3/416/2460396
AMA on Medical Ethics:
Interview with Prof. Marion Nestle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCZY8m0LTkA
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