Mind Pump: Raw Fitness Truth

Episode 2722: Fish Oil – Scam or Super Supplement? w/ Angelo Keeley
Date: November 6, 2025
Hosts: Sal Di Stefano, Adam Schafer, Justin Andrews, Doug Egge
Guest: Angelo Keeley, Founder/CEO of Kion Supplements

Episode Overview

This episode of Mind Pump dives deep into the world of fish oil supplements, with a broader look at what sets quality supplements apart in a market filled with questionable products. The hosts are joined by Angelo Keeley, CEO of Kion, who brings transparency on supplement sourcing, manufacturing standards, efficacy, and the difference between science-backed essentials and industry hype. The conversation spans omega-3s, creatine, essential amino acids, the nuts and bolts of quality control, and why the supplement industry’s landscape makes it crucial for consumers to educate themselves.

The overall tone is deeply informative, myth-busting, and pragmatic, laced with the Mind Pump crew’s signature blend of skepticism and expertise.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Supplement Industry: Quality, Corners, and Consumer Risks

• What Sets Kion (or Any Quality Brand) Apart

  • Angelo explains his role at Kion isn’t just the business side but involves overseeing scientific formulation, manufacturing, and rigorous quality control.
  • “There’s a lot of complex chemistry…to ensure the products you’re making are exactly what you think you’re making and that they don’t have any type of adulterants or other issues in them.” (Angelo, 05:04)
  • Many companies “cut corners” on ingredient testing, particularly due to cost.

• Testing Standards & Cost Realities

  • Testing every batch, third-party validation, and repeat verification is expensive, but the only way to guarantee product purity and label accuracy.
  • Some companies test only once a year and still label their product “third-party tested.”
  • “Every time you do it, it’s hundreds of dollars, if not…tens of thousands of dollars just in quality testing.” (Angelo, 08:09)

• Adulterants and Heavy Metals, Especially in Plant-Based Supplements

  • The biggest issues found are often with plant-based powders, due to soil contamination with heavy metals.
  • “Plant-based (protein) ones are the worst…they’re gonna have a ton of lead in it. Why? Because you concentrated all these peas…and with that came all the heavy metals.” (Angelo, 06:58)

2. Two Paths in Supplement Business: “Hype” vs. “Integrity”

• The Fast-Cash vs. Quality Mindset
  • Angelo draws a line between those chasing trends, margins, and cash grabs and companies focused on data, tested formulations, and long-term value.
  • “There’s real science behind real products that actually work. And if you just make that product—and make it as best as you can possibly make it—like, truthfully communicate to people…they’re probably gonna wanna buy it.” (Angelo, 12:12)

3. The “Blind Spot” in Supplement Education

• Consumers Think ‘Same Name, Same Product’
  • Omega-3 at Kion ≠ Omega-3 at CVS: without industry education, consumers just shop on price, missing vital differences in purity, potency, and efficacy.

4. Deep Dive: Protein/Amino Acids, Anabolic Resistance, and Dosing

• Nuance Matters: Science Communication vs. Marketing Spin

  • Brands often oversimplify study results, leading to misleading claims (“6x more effective” without context).
  • “I want to have integrity and communicate nuance…but you got someone else taking a piece of what a study is and then manipulating it and saying it in a different way.” (Angelo, 16:45)

• What Makes Leucine-Enriched Essential Amino Acids Special for Older Adults

  • Muscle protein synthesis drops with age due to “anabolic resistance.” Leucine-enriched EAA blends can overcome this resistance—vital for older adults, less so for youth.
  • “As we age…our sensitivity to the essential amino acids in protein reduces.…But if you give an older adult this leucine-enriched EAA supplement, it will overcome anabolic resistance way more than whey protein will.” (Angelo, 21:54)
  • Key Study: 3g of EAAs (40% leucine) = the same muscle synthesis as 20g of whey in women in their 60s (23:46).

• Smart EAA Use for Advanced Lifters

  • Sal doses EAAs with meals for extra muscle-building: “I’ve seen some good results from doing that.” (Sal, 24:42)
  • Even high-protein eaters can benefit from EAA supplementation, especially as training intensity or age increases.

5. Omega-3s: The Science, Purity, and Why Most Fish Oil Is Junk

• What Sets a ‘Good’ Fish Oil Apart

  • Purity (less junk oil, higher EPA/DHA), concentration, and format are critical.
  • “A cheap brand will be 30–60%. …You have to take twice as much to get the same thing…they’re selling you a bunch of other junk oil.” (Angelo, 26:55)

• Why Omega-3s Are Essential Beyond General Health

  • They modulate (not suppress) inflammation, make cell membranes more flexible, and are deeply tied to cardiovascular, cognitive, and joint health.
  • “Omega-3s are precursors for not just anti-inflammatory agents, but these things called pro-resolving mediators...they help the body to literally heal faster.” (Angelo, 32:13)

• Performance: Not Just for ‘Health Nuts’

  • High doses (3–4g/day) increase strength and muscle gain in athletes/older adults, likely by boosting mTOR activity (35:27).
  • “You do that for 12 weeks and you increase your 1-Rep Maximum over the placebo by like 10–15%.” (Angelo, 35:36)

Notable Quotes

• “When you went from like 4% to 7% [Omega-3 index], that is where on average people added five years to their life and there was a 15% reduction in all-cause mortality.” (Angelo, 37:54)
• “Omega-3s and creatine—those two seem to show benefits across the board, from the brain to the organs to performance.” (Sal, 51:08)

6. Omega-3 Sourcing, Sustainability, and The Rancidity Trap

• Kion Sourcing: Anchovies off the coast of Peru (low-contaminant, sustainable, certified).
• Rancidity: Many fish oils are spoiled before you buy them. Kion uses rosemary extract and astaxanthin, which also provide health benefits and antioxidant protection (43:00).
• Rancid Test: “Every single day, when I take my Omega-3s, I chew one.” (Angelo, 41:17)

7. Industry Problems: Cheap Gummies, Creatine Contamination, Mislabeling

• Creatine: Many gummies and powders found to contain no (or far less) creatine than labeled; look for Creapure—a German creatine that’s also used by Kion (57:13).
• “There’s nothing worse than taking a supplement every day to improve your health…and realize there’s some contaminant you didn’t know about.” (Sal, 58:14)

8. Coffee: Why Kion’s Tastes “Clean” and How Coffee Quality is Often Compromised

• Single Origin, Machine Dried, Rejection of Contaminated Lots
  • Kion tracks beans from farm to cup and tests for pesticides, also catching a unique contamination case from bag reuse (70:55).
• Coffee “Tastes Clean”
  • “It’s the purest, cleanest tasting coffee I’ve ever had, and I absolutely love it.” (Adam, 67:32)

9. Supplement Selection: Only the Essentials

• Why Kion Doesn’t Chase Trends
  • “Is this a product that is worth taking every day and is going to meaningfully create benefit and has really good data behind it?” (Angelo, 62:59)
  • Essential amino acids are the company’s top seller, especially popular with older adults. Angelo argues they’re next in line with creatine and omega-3s for fundamental, daily use (73:33).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every time you do [full testing], it’s…tens of thousands of dollars. It’s an easy thing to skip—to simply be like ‘it’s not really an issue’—and boom, you just added hundreds of thousands of dollars to your bottom line.” (Angelo, 08:09)

• “If you look at a bottle that says Omega-3, and another bottle that says Omega-3—you think you’re comparing the same thing. That’s the issue.” (Sal, 59:33)

• “There are two supplements that I think most people should take…Omega-3s and creatine. Those two seem to show benefits across the board.” (Sal, 51:08)

• “As we age…anabolic resistance develops. You have to have 40% leucine in an EAA supplement to overcome it. It has been shown to be way more potent…you give these women in their 60s 3g of EAAs…as much muscle protein synthesis as 20g of whey.” (Angelo, 21:54 and 23:46)

• “Every single day, when I take my Omega-3s, I chew one.” (Angelo, 41:17)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Kion and Supplement Industry Practices: 03:32–11:11
• Industry Testing: Corners, Costs, and Label Lies: 05:04–09:02
• Plant-Based Protein Powders and Heavy Metals: 06:58
• Paths in Supplement Business / Company Mission: 11:11–13:11
• Consumer Blind Spot—Same Product Name, Vast Differences: 13:11–14:53
• Blind Spots in the Industry, Learning Curves: 14:53–18:00
• EAA/Protein & Anabolic Resistance for Older Adults: 18:00–25:53
• Omega-3s: Concentration, Purity & Benefits: 25:53–34:30
• Omega-3s: Inflammation, Recovery, & Athletic Performance: 34:30–39:00
• Whole Food vs. Supplement Omega Options: 39:00–40:43
• Rancidity Risks and Kion Safeguards: 40:43–43:33
• Sourcing & Sustainability: 44:43–45:35
• “Do Omega-6s Outcompete Omega-3s?” (no): 45:35–49:37
• What Supplements to Take for Longevity: 50:23–52:39
• Creatine: Cognitive, Physical, and Industry Risks: 52:39–59:10
• Coffee Quality, Testing & Sourcing: 65:12–72:06
• Kion Product Selection Philosophy: 62:59–65:12
• Top Sellers & EAAs for Aging: 73:33–74:55

Conclusion

This episode is a masterclass in supplement literacy and critical consumerism. The key takeaway:
Not all supplements are the same, and ‘what’s on the label’ is only as good as a company’s integrity, science, and willingness to invest in quality control.
For most people, the hosts and guest agree, evidence-based staples—omega-3s, creatine, and, especially for older adults, essential amino acids—deserve a place in daily routines, but quality and dosing are everything.

Memorable takeaway from Sal (59:33):
“If you look at a bottle that says Omega-3, and another bottle that says Omega-3—you think you’re comparing the same thing. That’s the issue.”

For more science-backed supplement education and honest discussion, see Mind Pump’s full library or visit Kion’s website.