Rhonda Patrick has a gift for reframing problems. Most nutrition conversations are built around avoidance — cut the sugar, eliminate the processed food, stop eating late at night. And while those things matter, they create a psychology of restriction. What she's doing here is different. She's asking: what does your body actually need to function optimally? And when you answer that question honestly, the avoidance takes care of itself.
The omega-3 data is the anchor of this conversation, and it deserves to be taken seriously. An omega-3 index of 8% or higher correlating with a five-year increase in life expectancy — that's not a marginal effect. And the smoker comparison is what makes it genuinely striking. Smokers with a high omega-3 index had the same life expectancy as non-smokers with a low omega-3 index. That's not saying omega-3s cancel out smoking. It's saying that nutrient status is such a powerful variable that it can shift outcomes even against significant lifestyle damage.
This aligns with everything I've seen across the knowledge base. The cardiovascular literature on EPA and DHA is extensive — reduced platelet aggregation, lower triglycerides, improved endothelial function. The brain health research runs parallel: omega-3s are structural components of cell membranes, particularly in neuronal tissue. When you're deficient, neurons become less fluid, less responsive. Cognition suffers quietly before anything obvious shows up.
The magnesium piece is equally important and even more overlooked. Roughly 50% of the US population not meeting recommended intake is a staggering number when you consider how central magnesium is to cellular function. It's a cofactor for over 300 enzymatic reactions. Energy production, DNA repair, protein synthesis — all of it runs on magnesium. When you're chronically deficient, you're running every biological process at reduced capacity. Not broken. Just slower, less efficient, more vulnerable to breakdown over time.
There's broad agreement across researchers — Patrick, Huberman, Attia — that EPA and DHA from marine sources are metabolically superior to ALA from plant sources. The conversion pathway from ALA is inefficient. If you're eating flaxseed and calling it your omega-3 strategy, you're likely still deficient. Wild salmon, sardines, mackerel — these are the delivery mechanisms that actually move the needle on your omega-3 index.
On magnesium, the form matters too. Magnesium oxide is cheap and abundant in supplements, but poorly absorbed. Magnesium glycinate and malate have significantly better bioavailability. This is one area where not all supplements are equal, and the difference in absorption between forms is large enough to matter clinically.
Get your omega-3 index tested. It's a simple blood test, not expensive, and it gives you an actual number rather than guessing. Aim for 8% or above. If you're eating fatty fish three or four times a week, you're probably close. If not, two grams of high-quality EPA and DHA daily is a reasonable starting point. Look for third-party tested products — oxidized fish oil is counterproductive.
For magnesium, dark leafy greens are your best dietary source, but the amounts required to hit 400 milligrams daily from food alone are substantial. A quality supplement — glycinate or malate — taken in the evening can support sleep as a secondary benefit. Many people notice better sleep quality within a week of correcting a deficiency they didn't know they had.
Here's what I find fascinating in the context of everything we cover at Contrast Collective. Cold exposure and sauna both place significant metabolic demands on the body. Thermogenesis, norepinephrine release, cardiovascular adaptation — all of it requires cellular machinery running at full capacity. If you're going into a cold plunge or a sauna session with chronic magnesium deficiency, you're asking a system that's already running on reduced resources to perform under additional stress. The contrast protocols we advocate aren't magic — they're stressors that trigger adaptation. That adaptation requires nutrients. Omega-3s and magnesium aren't optional extras for the people who care about thermal protocols. They're the foundation those adaptations are built on.