09/08/2026
**Dr Michael Crawford is a force of nature.**
At 96, he is still talking with extraordinary clarity and conviction about something that has occupied much of his life’s work: **DHA — docosahexaenoic acid.**
I highly recommend listening to this interview.
What I find so compelling about Crawford’s work is that DHA isn’t simply another “omega-3 supplement” or a fashionable health-food talking point. It is a fundamental structural component of the human body — particularly of the **brain, nervous system and retina**.
DHA is highly concentrated in neuronal and retinal membranes, where its unusual physical properties help give cell membranes the fluidity and functional environment required for signalling. It is involved in synaptic function, neurodevelopment, visual function and the architecture of the nervous system. Crawford has also spent decades exploring the deeper evolutionary story: the extraordinary relationship between DHA-rich marine food webs, membrane biology, the development of sophisticated signalling systems and the expansion of the human brain.
That perspective changes the question.
Instead of asking only *“Does fish oil have a health benefit?”*, perhaps we should ask:
**Where are we getting enough DHA to build and maintain the structures that depend upon it?**
And there are plenty of ways to obtain it.
🐟 **Fresh and frozen oily fish** — sardines, anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon, trout and other oily fish are among the richest natural sources of DHA.
🥫 **Canned and tinned fish** — an often overlooked nutritional powerhouse. Sardines, pilchards, mackerel, salmon, herring and anchovies can provide substantial amounts of DHA, while being inexpensive, convenient and highly nutrient-dense. Canning doesn't somehow make the DHA disappear.
🦪 **Other seafood** — mussels, oysters, crab, squid and other shellfish can contribute DHA and other long-chain marine omega-3s, although generally in smaller amounts than oily fish.
🥚 **Animal foods** — DHA isn't exclusively found in fish. Some eggs and meat can provide DHA, depending on what the animal has eaten. Certain land animals, particularly **goose and duck**, can contribute meaningful amounts too.
🫙 **Cod liver oil** — traditionally used as a concentrated marine source of omega-3s, although it is worth distinguishing a properly formulated cod liver oil from an ordinary fish-oil supplement because cod liver oil also contains vitamins A and D.
💧 **High-quality fish oils** — useful when dietary fish intake is low or inconsistent. The important thing is to look beyond the words “1000 mg fish oil” and check the actual **EPA + DHA content**, as formulations vary enormously.
🌿 **Algal DHA** is often presented as a straightforward substitute for marine DHA. While algal oils can provide DHA chemically, I think this deserves a more nuanced discussion. The **molecular structure, physical properties, membrane environment and food matrix** in which DHA is delivered may all matter to how it is incorporated and functions in the body. Crawford's work places particular emphasis on the remarkable physical and structural properties of DHA-rich marine membranes and on the evolutionary context in which humans obtained DHA through marine food webs. So I would be cautious about assuming that an isolated algal DHA oil is necessarily biologically equivalent to obtaining DHA from the marine foods that have traditionally supplied it. **The molecule may be DHA, but the biology is more complicated than simply matching the label.**
And then there is **ALA**, found in foods such as flax, chia, walnuts and some vegetable oils. ALA is an important omega-3 fatty acid, but it isn't DHA. Humans can convert ALA into DHA, but the conversion is limited, so relying on ALA alone is not equivalent to consuming preformed DHA.
For me, the bigger message is that **DHA belongs in the conversation about foundational nutrition**, not just supplementation.
We spend enormous amounts of time discussing protein, vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. But the fats that physically construct our cell membranes — and particularly the remarkable DHA-rich membranes of the brain and retina — deserve equal attention.
And there is something wonderfully fitting about hearing this message from Michael Crawford himself after a lifetime spent investigating it.
**96 years old. Still curious. Still thinking. Still teaching.**
If you care about nutrition, brain health, human evolution or simply understanding what the human body is actually made of, this is an interview worth your time.
**DHA isn't merely something we take. It is something we are built with.**
