The Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI) is a non-profit research and education foundation. FARI was founded by William S. Harris, Ph.D. in order to accelerate discovery of the health effects of fatty acids, most notably, the long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. FARI researchers and scientists will focus single-mindedly on publishing high-quality research studies on the multiple relationships between fatty acid levels and human (and animal) health outcomes. These studies will improve our ability to predict risk for disease, and more importantly, suggest ways to reduce risk by changing our diets and/or supplementation regimens.

Portland, OR 1980

Kansas City, KS 1995

Richmond, VA 2015

Sioux Falls, SD 2021

 William Harris, PhD. From post-doctoral fellow, to medical school faculty member to founder of OmegaQuant Analytics and FARI

A Message from FARI's Founder

William Harris, PhD, FASN
Founder and President of FARI
​
Over my 40-year research career, more than 80% of my nearly 400 papers have focused on fatty acids and health, and all but a handful of those have been on omega-3 fatty acids. Suffice it to say, this field has been my passion, and continues to be so. For the first 25 years of my research career, I studied the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on lipoprotein metabolism and was among the first to clearly document the triglyceride-lowering effects of these nutrients. These studies were supported by three NIH grants.
 
With the creation of the Omega-3 Index in 2004, my focus switched from metabolism to epidemiology. I became fascinated with the idea that important and unappreciated health information could be “buried” in the red blood cell fatty acid profile, especially in the omega-3 fatty acids. Two more NIH grants were obtained to pursue these questions in the Framingham Offspring Study and in the Women’s Health Initiative Memory Study.
 
This has been a very fruitful line of research in which we have documented that a higher Omega-3 Index is independently linked to reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, dementia, and premature death. We have also just begun to establish a prenatal red blood cell DHA target (>5%) which, if achieved, may help reduce risk for premature birth. Finally, we have shown that in order to achieve a cardioprotective Omega-3 Index of >8% requires a markedly higher EPA and DHA intake than current health bodies (like the American Heart Association) recommend.
 
The bulk of this work has been accomplished in roughly the last 10 years while I was simultaneously establishing and growing OmegaQuant Analytics, LLC (2008-2020). Looking back, I ask myself, “How much more could I have done had I been able to exclusively focus on research?”
 
I am fortunate that I have now been able to transfer the responsibilities for running OmegaQuant to the next generation. With OmegaQuant on a firm foundation for the future, I am now finding more time to focus on my first love — research and publishing. And that is why I founded the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI). I am so excited to have been gifted with this opportunity to pursue my passions that I will be not only volunteering my time to support FARI's mission but will also be contributing financially to assure its success. 

PS. If you're wondering about our logo, a close examination will reveal a line between the "R" in FARI and the "dot" on the "I." The line is a single bond and the dot represents a carbon atom. The single and double bonds radiating out from the carbon atom represent bonds to a hydroxy group (OH) group and an oxygen (O), respectively. In organic chemistry, "R" bonded to a "HO-C=O" is the universal symbol for a fatty acid.