By the bestselling author of Four Fish and American Catch, an
eye-opening investigation of the history, science, and business behind
omega-3 fatty acids, the miracle compound whose story is intertwined
with human health and the future of our planet
Omega-3 fatty acids have long been celebrated by doctors and dieticians
as key to a healthy heart and a sharper brain. In the last few decades,
that promise has been encapsulated in one of America's most popular
dietary supplements. Omega-3s are today a multi-billion dollar business,
and sales are still growing apace--even as recent medical studies
caution that the promise of omega-3s may not be what it first appeared.
But a closer look at the omega-3 sensation reveals something much deeper
and more troubling. The miracle pill is only the latest product of the
reduction industry, a vast, global endeavor that over the last century
has boiled down trillions of pounds of marine life into animal feed,
fertilizer, margarine, and dietary supplements. The creatures that are
the victims of that industry seem insignificant to the untrained eye,
but turn out to be essential to the survival of whales, penguins, and
fish of all kinds, including many that we love to eat.
Behind these tiny molecules is a big story: of the push-and-pull of
science and business; of the fate of our oceans in a human-dominated
age; of the explosion of land food at the expense of healthier and more
sustainable seafood; of the human quest for health and long life at all
costs. James Beard Award-winning author Paul Greenberg probes the rich
and surprising history of omega-3s--from the dawn of complex life, when
these compounds were first formed; to human prehistory, when the
discovery of seafood may have produced major cognitive leaps for our
species; and on to the modern era, when omega-3s may point the way to a
bold new direction for our food system. With wit and boundless
curiosity, Greenberg brings us along on his travels--from Peru to
Antarctica, from the Canary Islands to the Amalfi Coast--to reveal
firsthand the practice and repercussions of our unbalanced way of
eating.
Rigorously reported and winningly told, The Omega Principle is a
powerful argument for a more deliberate and forward-thinking
relationship to the food we eat and the oceans that sustain us.
