Dr Barry Sears

Dr. Barry Sears is a leading authority on the impact of the diet on hormonal response, genetic expression, and inflammation.  A former research scientist at the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Sears has focused his research efforts over the past 40 years to the study of lipids and their role in chronic disease.

Dr. Sears has published more than 30 scientific articles and holds 13 U.S. patents in the areas of intravenous drug delivery systems for cancer drugs and hormonal regulation for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. He has also written 13 books, including the New York Times #1 bestseller "The Zone". These books have sold more than six million copies in the U.S. and have been translated into 22 different languages.

He is the founder and president of the non-profit Inflammation Research Foundation from which he continues his work in the developing of new dietary approaches for the treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases.

2013 - Rebuilding the Brain

Rebuilding the Brain Part I:  Treatment of neurological disorders with high-dose omega-3 fatty acids.  Barry Sears, Ph.D., Inflammation Research Foundation, Marblehead, MA, USA
Although the brain has the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in the body, a number of neurological disorders are known to have a significant neuro-inflammatory component.  Such neurological disorders include multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.  Other neurological conditions such as ADHD, depression, and anxiety have an indirect association with neuro-inflammation as it distorts neural signaling networks.  This lecture will focus on the clinical studies that have used high dose omega-3 fatty acids rich in EPA in variety of neurological conditions.  The mode of action of EPA and clinical monitoring of the appropriate dosage of omega-3 fatty acids will be discussed.

Rebuilding the Brain Part II:  Treatment of ocular disorders with high-dose omega-3 fatty acids.  Barry Sears, Ph.D., Inflammation Research Foundation, Marblehead, MA, USA
The retina has the richest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids in the body.  Nonetheless a great number of ocular diseases such as macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and diabetic retinopathy have an inflammatory component that can be reduced by the use of high-dose omega-3 fatty acids rich in EPA.  Other ocular conditions in which the use of high-dose omega-3 fatty acids rich in EPA have shown to be a successful intervention include as severe dry eye syndrome and optic nerve degeneration.  The clinical data on the use of omega-3 fatty and why earlier trials have been disappointing as well as the proposed model of mechanism action of EPA in treatment of these ocular conditions will be discussed.