Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs) and Health:
 

I am hoping to continue this topic on this forum. This first post is going to be a bit of history (nostalgia for me) as an introduction.

Just over 10 years ago we bought our first computer. This opened the internet to me through my son. At that time I was struggling with some health problems, which I found were related to nutrition and diet. A friend was told by her physican to read "Enter the Zone" a nutrition book by Barry Sears, PhD.
In it were 2 chapters on the chemistry of fatty acids and how they work in the body. Well, a lightbulb went off in head, and I started reading other authors. My friend asked me to read this and explain it to her.

Another one I found was Dr. Donald Rudin, MD--"Omega 3 Oils, a Practical Guide". At that time, the older version of his work was the only one available.

So fortified with this knowledge I started in earnest to provide these oils for myself, son, and husband. Within 3 mos, my GERD was gone, my asthma in remission, my stress symptoms gone, energy up. My son who wanted help with acne issues, tried them and no longer needed his ADHD medication (which he had been on for 5 yrs). His acne also improved dramatically. So I used the internet to search for more information. And what I found, turned my private life and professional attitude completely around. I was just ahead of the herbal "revolution", the complementary movement in medicine. I attended seminars, continuing ed courses and some programs given by one of my employers.

I found OBT forums, and began to look for ways to help others. The data were there, but not commonly in forms readily available to the public. It was still pretty complex, ivory tower stuff. I was attacked, and flamed regularly, for my enthusiasm. Those days, however, have passed.

Today this information has made it to psychiatrists, and medical doctors.
We have RX version of fish oil called Lovasa (previously called Omacor).


We have 2 prenatals now to help new mothers and the developing baby.
PrimaCare
Duet DHA
http://www.primacareefa.com/

We finally have DHA and AA added to infant formulas in USA. (we were just about the last industrialized nation to do so).

We have OTC DHA supplements easy to find:
Neuromins (the original) and
Expecta http://www.meadjohnson.com/professio...ectalipil.html

We have common easily available Omega foods now.
Omega-3 eggs
Smart Balance Peanut butter
Smart Balance spreads (2 types)
Smart Balance mayo
Nutrition bars with Omega-3 (eg: ZonePerfect)
Flax oil cereals
to name but a few

More physicians understand this concept today than before. The family of anti-inflammatories called NSAIDs block the formation of molecules derived from ALA (from flax)--cox-1 and LA (from most other vegetable sources) cox-2. The introduction of cox-2 inhibitors on RX like Vioxx and Celebrex (which are now considered not totally safe for long term use), have also opened the educational doors. The reasons for their negative impact are directly associated with fatty acid chemistry. In fact there are now warnings for all NSAIDs RX and OTC about long term use and possible harm to the cardiovascular system (they suppress an important Cox-2 cytokine that dilates blood vessels).

People still do not understand Omega-3 importance because of this complexity of the chemistry.

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/71/1/343S

edit: 1-29-14--removed one dead link, but here is another new
one from Wiki:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essenti...d_interactions

Suffice it to say, you don't have to UNDERSTAND it all, but just be aware that documentation that is trustworthy does exist, and therefore we need to take advantage of this knowledge to improve our health, and futures.

So the journey for us/me this past 10 years has been very very exciting.

I am going to be adding to this thread, some of the data from my old EFA threads from the other forum. And new information as it becomes available.
I hope to see others here post on this thread, their experiences, as well.

Is there a difference between EPA and DHA? Is one more important than the other?

Thank you, mrsd.
 

Because of you I long ago became very aware of the need for Omega 3. I have taken fish oil sporadically, and when I eat meat, chicken, eggs, it is most often grass fed, free range, etc. So my Omega 3 intake is quite good.

I just last week received some results I think I can attribute to those things, along with the fact that I avoid almost all transfats.

My "bad" cholesterol has become slightly high (probably not a surprise at my age), but, my "good cholesterol" is high too. And the ratio causes my cholesterol results to be great. Risk of cardio problem is actually well bellow average because of the ratio.

Love,

rose

Hi Wendy....
 

All the the fatty acids have a function.

We can make our own (from the first essential ones-- ALA and LA).

Eventually thru many complex steps we do make EPA and DHA. Females moreso than males. I found a factoid a while back that females convert up to 20% efficiency (because they have to provide DHA for the developing baby), and males only around 4-5% from the essential precursors.

Fish have EPA and DHA in them because they eat smaller fish, who eat
smaller ones, who eat algae that live in the ocean. EPA is considered
more anti-inflammatory, as it inhibits the formation of Cox-2 cytokines (prostaglandins which are microhormones that signal cells) DHA is an integral part of cell membranes, and very important in the nervous system.
Here is what Dr. Sears says:
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/4/T040900.asp

EPA has a more global effect in the body, on many systems:
http://pdrhealth.com/drug_info/nmdru...eic_0104.shtml

They are both important, and they occur together as well.

Humans have extremely high concentrations of DHA in the brain. And this fact has led anthropologists to the theory that humans actually evolved on a fish diet, enabling brain development.

This article is very readable and even has pictures !! something often missing in the subject matter. LOL It explains alot in easy to understand terms.
http://www.fi.edu/brain/fats.htm

I am not a very good writer, and this subject is really hard to convey, so check out that last link. It is very good!

That is great Rose....
 

HDLs are where its at now anyway. My hubby's are very high, 73 at last reading!

It is also very important to remove transfats from the diet. The article quoted in the last post has transfat data near the end.

We are slowly getting them out of our food chain, but it is very slowly.
Wendy's has done some removal, and Kentucky Fried Chicken has announce intentions to remove them completely. They are very very common in
restaurant food and are very very bad for us.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0..._transfat.html

Denmark has completely banned them in that country.

NYCity is discussing a ban for them in restaurants, so you may see more stories in the press about this subject.

With all of these changes, based on the fatty acid chemistries, we should see a significant improvement in cardiovascular health, and neuro syndromes in the future.

Supplements...
 

At one time supplements of EFAs were basically the only way to improve
EFA status easily.

Flax oil
Evening primrose/borage/black currant oils
Fish oils

When we started this in our home, I was taking and having my son take,
one cap of each. This was a long time ago.

Now we have many food choices available to us, to make this easier.
I get my ALA Omega-3 from food now. But I do use fish oil now and then,
for my arthritis flares. But not everyday, anymore.

Flax oil is very unstable and oxidizes easily/quickly. Caps should be stored in the frig like the liquid oil itself. Flax oil is the basic essential fatty acid that we need to have every day. The ratio between Omega-3 and Omega 6 should be as close to 1:1 up to 1:5 as possible. In USA the Omega-6 consumption is quite high, so people typically do not need to supplement it. In fact they need to cut back on it some so the ratio becomes closer. The advantage to using flax oil, is that it is the FIRST ingredient in a long chemical sequence for the synthesis of compounds useful to the body. Some is eventually converted to EPA and DHA, but the intermediate uses are also important. People with poor skin/acne, dry skin, mouth sores, etc do well on flax oil supplements.
Flax liquid oil itself tastes better than other oils, and mixes well into food.
You can mix it with cottage cheese, equal parts with butter melted and resolidified makes a good spread, mix into drinks/smoothies, mix with salad dressing ingredients like Good Season's for salads. Now we have several food choices that do this for you. Smart Balance peanut butter has 1000mg of flax oil in each tablespoon. Smart Balance spread also has this done for you.

Evening Primrose oil provides the GLA that is necessary for conversion to long chain fatty acids.

Evening primrose oil has been the most commonly used, and sometimes in high doses. I found however, that only a little of this goes a long way. Really high doses can cause diarrhea. Also there is concern for those with seizure disorders that it MAY (rarely) increase seizure frequency. But the only really documented cases came from those taking antipsychotic drugs and high dose primrose. And these were not many.

At one time very high doses of primrose (or the others supplying GLA) were
used for PMS control, or other female menstrual problems. One can search the net and find many older articles about its various uses.

If you are really aggressive about this subject you can have a fatty acid
blood profile done. Some parents on OBT on the Tourette's board did that years ago. I recall two posts from parents where GLA was found very low or lacking. People vary genetically in the expression and metabolism of fatty acids. There are so many steps and enzymes to go thru, that errors can occur. So testing may be a very good tool if you can have it done.
For example in folate chemistry (a B-vitamin) there have been 25 genetic errors found in folate methylation, so far. So it is very possible that subtle errors in EFA chemistry also lead to disease states as well.

The EPA and DHA definitions are well explained on the post before this.

I contacted EFAMOL corporation years ago and asked about the AA content in their Efalex product. This was the only fish oil product that listed on the label the AA content (arachidonic acid). They answered me that ALL fish oils contain trace amounts of this long chain fatty acid, and it is not removed by distillation/purification processes.
AA is a fatty acid that is very important to developing nervous systems..the fetus, infants and small children. It is included in baby formulas now in this country. However, in huge amounts, it is a precursor to vasoconstriction and
platelet clumping...ie. heart attacks. There are no AA supplements for adults.
However it is common in some foods. Meats, chicken, turkey, eggs are the prime sources. The higher the fat content the higher the AA content. AA levels are lower in Omega-3 eggs.

Here is another complex article on AA..:
http://www.acnp.org/G4/GN401000059/CH059.html

So while supplements do exist, and we use some of them still in our home,
our culture has changed, and provides now food sources to enable people to enrich their diet and not need to swallow capsules of most of the EFAs.

If you want significant anti-inflammatory actions, high dose fish oil may be the only way to go. Eating fish will not provide enough for some conditions. Really high dose use however, should be supervised by a doctor. Fish oil has some anti-clotting effects, and
can interfere with some drug therapies and other treatments. The highest physican supervised patient I have seen was a 12gram/day dose. This was to treat an autoimmune kidney disease/failure (which it succeeded in preventing kidney failure).

edit: 1-29-14....
many links I used to have in this thread have been removed from the internet. They may be still there with new addresses, but that is difficult to find today.

This link to Linus Pauling Institute in Oregon is quite good:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocente...nuts/omega3fa/

and
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/ss11/fats.html

http://www.biologicnr.com/fatty-acids-101/

http://drbenkim.com/articles-omega-3-fatty-acids.htm

This is a link to Thorne about GLA specifically:
http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/9/1/70.pdf

More questions re: EFA's MRSD
 

Gosh - I am really trying to understand this. I read all the articles you posted. Since I have FM and RSD I understand that EFA
Omega 3 and 6 are good for inflammation. My diet is very poor for various reasons thus I need the supplements. Now - I am also deficient in Vitamin D (1(18). I have read where a protocal for low D is synthetic 50,000 pils once per week for 4 -6 weeks Or maybe 8. Anyway that does work as I know someone who did it. Her level jumped from 8 to 60 (25-)H) However, my naturopathic dr. says to take the natural D (which contains A also) . I was taking 4,000 natural D a day and then realized I was taking 10,000 A a day. I read where this was the max per day.

Now for the EFA part. The naturopathic dr. also recommended Blue Ice Cod Liver Oil - 1 T a day. The directions on the bottle say one half teaspoon. The ingredients in one half teaspoon are 5,750 A, 575 D , 145-375 EPA and 150-360 DHA. Wow! If I take 1T - I thought I'd really be overdosing on the A. Also, I am taking the D. which contains 1,000 A in every 400 D capsule.
I called to be sure these were the correct directions. He said "yes" I can take 1 T of this CLO because it is natural A not synthetic. I am not overdosing. However, he did say to cut back on some of the natural D and switch to synthetic. Yet , I'm still getting about 36,00 A a day with the CLO.

Questions? Should I just be taking a regular fish liver oil instead of the one with all the A to get the maximum EFA's?
What do you think of the dosage of A in 1T - too high?
I read about the one in the article you posted. which is supposedly recommended. However, it was originated from plants not fish oil. I'm confused. Sorry I can't remember the name now. I read it earlier. Is A important for my condition. Should I take some CLO and some regular fish oil?

So - in light of all this info - can someone - mrsd help me out with this. I Also, because of the FM and RSD and Mer. Per. what would an appropriate dose of these EPA's be? The Blue Ice doesn't have that much in just one half teaspoon. I had previously been taking Icelandic at Icelandic.com and that had a lot more /EPA and less A.
Hope I am not confusing you. Just trying to do this correctly to try to get out of this chronic pain. I figured this is worth a try. The Dr. also said I should try to get my D level up to 80 and I would get some pain relief. He is big on D. Thanks, Sydney

The A in cod liver oil
 

Is retinol, not betacarotene. Your doses are still not that high, unless you are planning on getting pregnant or are pregnant already.
Here is what Dr. Mercola has to say about it:
http://www.mercola.com/forms/carlsons.htm

Vit A retinol has been implicated in birth defects..so it is low or not present
in most prenatals.

Betacarotene is the type of A present in vegetables, and it has to be converted to real A in the body. If someone is hypothyroid, this often fails, and the skin
turns an orange color as the betacarotene builds up there. (this happened to me).

If you want to increase your fatty acids only--it is best to use fish BODY oils, in addition to the cod liver oil you are currently using. The fish oils I have been discussing are fish BODY oils, not CLO. As long as you are being supervised by a doctor, I would defer to him/her.

Extremely high Vit A intake has been linked to pseudotumor cerebri.. but that is very high doses, which you are not yet at.

The doses typically used to treat acne by dermatologists are in the 25,000 IU to 50,000 IU range. You are far below that.
Most prenatals today have had Vit A removed, or drastically lowered, and betacarotene substituted.

Thanks Mrs D
 

Thanks for the clarfication of synthetic vs. natural Vit D. Looks like I am OK with the Cod Liver Oil. However, I think I will also get some regular fish oil. Unfortuantely, I also have high choleserol (388). triglycerides((207) and worst of all my CRP is 5.3. I am afraid to take the statins because of my FM condition. Don't want to risk additional muscle problems.
Due to numerous meds over the past 2 - 3 years and lack of activity I have gained about 70 pounds. It seems no matter what I eat I just gain the weight. It is very frustrating. I went from a petite size to a woman's. Not very good for my conditions or my body.
Thanks for all the links to various web sites. I wish I had your talent. You amaze me. I love research and am determined to find something to get rid of this pain and be able to walkk again. I just keep researching and trying.
Thanks
Sydney

you are welcome, Sidney...
 

I think you have a typo in that last post... D instead of A?;)

DHA and lower Alzheimer's risk:
 

Here is an article from PsychCentral:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2006/11...zheimers-risk/

you are correct -mrsd
 

Sorry about the typo. I did mean to say Vit A - not Vit D. I am so involved with this Vit. D issue as well i just got confused in the post. You certainly pick up on everything Good Job! I appreciate your attention to detail and efficency as well as your knowledge base.
Thanks, Sydney

jcc has found some nice nutrition papers...
 

I found this one linked to the others she just posted here on another thread:
ALA= alpha linolenic acid as found in flax oil, walnuts and canola oil.
Long chain fatty acids = DHA and EPA

from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=15129302

Here is another...
 

from the same author. It discusses enriching foods/meat for better health.
from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q..._uids=15980924

NYC bans transfats...
 

Finally... a move in the right direction for all of us...
from http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/arti...orld-C3-More-8

This is important also for other neuro issues... but the media still targets cardiovascular ones. So we just ride that wave! ;)

A new press release on children:
 

Here in USA there are two prenatals now for pregnant women
that have Omega-3 technology in them. It is really a very good idea
to take advantage of them. I have posted them earlier in this thread.

mrsd
Can I be getting to much flax oil? I take a capsul of 1000mg per day , grind 3 heaping tablespoons of flax seed for cereal each morning and on occasion eat Smart Balance Peanut butter?

Lookingup58

Flax
 

MRSD

Thanks for the info and reading material source on flax. It is very complete detail. It will give me the info I was looking for to undersatand the correct amounts of flax.


Thanks for having the forum. It is very good and helpful.

:)

new information for new Moms and Omega-3s....
 

DocJohn just posted this in the Health News forum... It is very interesting:

http://www.emaxhealth.com/25/11654.html

This is the full article and quite technical. But very interesting none the less.

http://www.internationalbreastfeedin.../content/2/1/6

I am bumping this up with a new discovery:
 

At the doctor's office yesterday I found an article about trans fat intake,
and infertility.

Here is an article.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16695792/
I will quote it all, since links often die:
I have seen studies on PubMed and trans fat consumption having negative effects on the developing fetus. So this new data is not surprising either.
Now that trans fats are being advertised people are getting the message.
It is really imperative to get them out of your diet.

a new warning on a new fat:
 

I went to a medical seminar on Friday, and some new data was brought up
on the new substitute fats that some food manufacturers are using instead of transfats.

These newer fats are called interesterfied fats, and are now in cookies,cakes, donuts, some peanut butters.

Here is an article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0116131545.htm

These fats were shown in humans to raise blood sugar by 20%.

So read labels carefully. Also the recommended adult amount of transfat now is 2 grams a day. Labels that say Zero Transfats can do that if the transfat content of the product is below .5gm /serving. They are allowed to round down.

So if labels say partially hydrogenated oils are in the product, and the label itself says 0 transfats, you may be getting some. This is esp important for kids, who are smaller and who will be affected more by the transfat.

another link:
http://www.stop-trans-fat.com/interesterified-fat.html

new food source for Omega-3-- yogurt
 

Just found this in my grocery store:

http://www.bluebunny.com/ProductDeta...&productId=625

Gluten free, has 4 probiotic organisms in it, and 300mg of alpha linolenic acid from flax oil!

A neat way to get EFAs into kids too!

Study: Fish Oil and Diabetes prevention in Children
 

I came across a brief description of this article and searched down the abstract (below). I thought it was fascinating and maybe some are interested.


Vol. 298 No. 12, September 26, 2007 JAMA

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Intake and Islet Autoimmunity in Children at Increased Risk for Type 1 Diabetes
Jill M. Norris, MPH, PhD; Xiang Yin, MD, MS; Molly M. Lamb, BA; Katherine Barriga, MSPH; Jennifer Seifert, BS; Michelle Hoffman, RN; Heather D. Orton, MS; Anna E. Barón, PhD; Michael Clare-Salzler, MD; H. Peter Chase, MD; Nancy J. Szabo, PhD; Henry Erlich, MD, PhD; George S. Eisenbarth, MD, PhD; Marian Rewers, MD, PhD


JAMA. 2007;298:1420-1428.

Context Cod liver oil supplements in infancy have been associated with a decreased risk of type 1 diabetes mellitus in a retrospective study.

Objective To examine whether intakes of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are associated with the development of islet autoimmunity (IA) in children.

Design, Setting, and Participants A longitudinal, observational study, the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young (DAISY), conducted in Denver, Colorado, between January 1994 and November 2006, of 1770 children at increased risk for type 1 diabetes, defined as either possession of a high diabetes risk HLA genotype or having a sibling or parent with type 1 diabetes. The mean age at follow-up was 6.2 years. Islet autoimmunity was assessed in association with reported dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids starting at age 1 year. A case-cohort study (N = 244) was also conducted in which risk of IA by polyunsaturated fatty acid content of erythrocyte membranes (as a percentage of total lipids) was examined.

Main Outcome Measure Risk of IA, defined as being positive for insulin, glutamic acid decarboxylase, or insulinoma-associated antigen-2 autoantibodies on 2 consecutive visits and still autoantibody positive or having diabetes at last follow-up visit.

Results Fifty-eight children developed IA. Adjusting for HLA genotype, family history of type 1 diabetes, caloric intake, and omega-6 fatty acid intake, omega-3 fatty acid intake was inversely associated with risk of IA (hazard ratio [HR], 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.21-0.96; P = .04). The association was strengthened when the definition of the outcome was limited to those positive for 2 or more autoantibodies (HR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.09-0.58; P = .002). In the case-cohort study, omega-3 fatty acid content of erythrocyte membranes was also inversely associated with IA risk (HR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.41-0.96; P = .03).

Conclusion Dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids is associated with reduced risk of IA in children at increased genetic risk for type 1 diabetes.


Author Affiliations: Department of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Denver (Drs Norris, Yin, and Barón, and Mss Lamb, Seifert, and Orton); The Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes, University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, Aurora (Drs Chase, Eisenbarth, and Rewers, and Mss Barriga and Hoffman); Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine (Dr Clare-Salzler) and Analytical Toxicology Core Laboratory (Dr Szabo), University of Florida, Gainesville; and Department of Human Genetics, Roche Molecular Systems, Alameda, California (Dr Erlich).

Type 1 diabetes
 

My apologies if this has already been posted here. Just received this in a newsletter from NOW:

Severe DHA Deficiency, and Vegan DHA/EPA Capsules vs Mercury-flavoured Oily Fish
 

Hello mrsd,

Thank you for starting this thread.

I decided to respond here to your comment about EFA in the other thread, Errors in Pathology..., to keep it all together.

As I mentioned on the other thread, in May this year I finally found a doctor who has an interest in nutritional medicine; he takes a holistic approach. He was the first to accept that my vitamin B12 deficiency was not "all in the mind". The first test that my new doctor ordered for me was Essential Fatty Acids.

The results, from ARL Pathology in Melbourne, are presented as % of total and ratios, rather than absolute quantities. Here is a link for an example of their reports: http://www.arlaus.com.au/Sample/EFA%20Plasma.pdf

Unfortunately, ARL has the usual policy of refusing to communicate with patients, so I have not been able to discuss my report with them; they ignored my Email request for some technical information. They do have useful general information on their web site. This is a link to their article on EFA: http://www.arlaus.com.au/clinical_gu...FA%20Guide.pdf

Some of my EFA levels were so abnormal that we repeated the test on new samples a few weeks later. The results were almost identical, giving me more confidence that ARL could at least repeat their tests.

The Summary showed that:

• Total Saturated % was high
• Total Monounsaturated was normal
• Total n3 was very low
• Total n6 was low
• Ratio n3/n6 was low

This does not necessarily mean that I have too much saturated fat; these are ratios. For me it far more likely to mean that the "good" n6 and n3 fats are too low. I am unlikely to eat too much saturated fat, because I am a vegetarian, with a revulsion for animal fat; even the milk for my breakfast cereal is low fat. I am very slim, weighing 64 kg, with a BMI of 22. I have no evidence of CAD (angiogram), have low cholesterol and triglycerides and low BP for a 54 year old male (120/70).

Perhaps this might explain my revulsion for fatty food:

I will only include actual % here where it is significant.

The detailed section of the report for the n6 acids shows:

• LA, the shortest n6 acid, borderline low
• The four longer n6 acids normal or borderline low

This is unusual because most people, especially vegetarians, are reported to consume too much n6 fats. I am apparently not eating quite enough LA, although what I do consume is being converted to the longer chain n6 acids. I just need to eat more LA; simple.

The detailed section of the report for the n3 acids shows:

• ALA, the shortest n3 acid, at 0.6% was borderline high (Reference Range 0.3 - 0.6%)
• EPA at 0.3% was borderline low (Reference Range 0.3 - 0.9%)
• DPA at 0.3% was borderline low (Reference Range 0.4 - 0.7%)
• DHA at 0.3% was very significantly low (Reference Range 1.5 to 3.2%)

Now, this is a really interesting, and worrying, result. I am apparently consuming enough ALA but it is not being converted to the longer chain n3 acids. The worst case is DHA, where I am way below the reference range. Assuming a normal frequency distribution for DHA, I fit in the bottom one in 100,000 of the population.

As you said, males only covert a few % of ALA to DHA. The most likely explanation for my DHA deficiency is conversion fault, rather than inadequate ALA intake.

Rather than immediately commence EPA and DHA supplements, I have decided to see if it really is a conversion problem. Here is my three-step plan:

1. Walnut Therapy

For the past four weeks I have been adding six walnuts (12 halves) per day to my food intake. This is the amount recommended by experts to increase ALA to normal levels. I will have my EFA checked again in another two weeks.

I expect to see an increase in both LA and ALA. In fact, my LA should come up to normal because walnuts contain large amounts of LA as well as ALA. I also expect to see ALA increase above the normal range. Whether or not there is sufficient conversion to push EPA and DHA up into the normal range is unknown. I also expect to see my LDL to decrease and HDL to increase, further reducing cardiac risk.

2. Linseed Therapy (you might call it Flaxseed)

If walnut therapy fails to improve DHA, then I will add a tablespoon of ground linseeds (flaxseeds) to my breakfast cereal each day. That should definitely push my ALA way above normal, although my body will presumably be able to regulate it to some extent. Once again, there is no certainty that it will be converted to DHA.

3. DHA Supplements

If walnut and linseed therapy fails to increase DHA and EPA to acceptable levels, I have no option but to take supplements.

This is not so easy for vegetarians or vegans because most of the available supplements are derived from oily fish (yuk!).

Another problem with most supplements, affecting carnivores as well, is the risk of heavy-metal poisoning. So, I will leave it to others to eat their mercury flavoured juice squeezed from bodies of oily fish!

Fortunately, there are now non-animal DHA/EPA supplements commercially available. I imported a three-month supply of "V-Pure" DHA/EPA vegan capsules from Switzerland; they arrived very promptly. These contain oil from farmed algae, and are claimed to be free of heavy metals. You can find the suppler at this link: http://www.water4.net/index.htm

I cannot comment on the effectiveness of the V-Pure product because I am still in the "Walnut Therapy" stage of investigation. I expect the capsules to push my DHA and EPA levels well into the normal range. I will let you know the results.

Paul

some suggestions...
 

Since you are eating some ALA... and LA but are not converting you have some options.

1) start using a source of GLA (this is an intermediate step in conversion).
This is a vegetarian product, either evening primrose or borage oil.

2) You can buy vegetarian DHA... it is common in the states. I don't know what it is called in Britain. Ours is made by the Martek company predominately, but there are others. It is extracted from algae grown in tanks.
One brand is Neuromins, another targeting women is Expecta.
However if you choose this you won't be getting EPA from that source.
EPA is important and acts as a brake to AA synthesis. Excess AA can cause heart attacks/stroke. I don't know of a vegan source for EPA in USA...I think it has to come from fish or you. It is possible you may convert ALA better if you take a GLA supplement like I mentioned above. Your link to the new supplement is interesting, but rather low in EPA. It is the first EPA I have seen, grown from algae. We do not have it here in USA yet. Our algae products only have DHA in them so far.

And just so you know, the processing of fish into fish oil, removes heavy metals. So you are not likely to find mercury in fish oil capsules.
There is a laboratory that tests... www.consumerlab.com
for the fish oil:
http://www.consumerlab.com/results/omega3.asp
The process of distillation removes heavy metals. Fish body oils are much safer to use than cod liver oils in general. Liver derived oils have other problems associated with them.

(as an aside--- there is a movement in the anthropology field, that suggests that humans evolved along coastlines where
there was an abundance of fish. Humans have a huge need for DHA in the brain, we have the highest ratio of any land mammal,
and so fish provided that and enabled brain evolution).

Thanks to Tessa and rose
 

for the very interesting and useful article on EFAs/diabetes!

I know I keep asking this but when I read about fish oil pill supplements it said it can contribute to bleading. Is it still safe and good to take 1200mg a day?Its one pill. Or is it safer the ground flax seed?Linseeds are a type of flaxseed or just another name? Please let us know the results and also any changes you feel in your body. Thank you.

fish oil and Vit E also have a potential
 

for increasing bleeding.

This is a very small effect, but may combine in people who are
1) low in platelets (a genetic problem)
2) take warfarin (Coumadin) for medical reasons
3) are given Heparin in the hospital
4) take high dose aspirin

Fish oil has EPA in it, which is an anti-inflammatory and suppresses Cox-2
cytokines. The Cox-2 include thromoxane which is a clotting stimulant.

Because this is all dietary the effects are mild, and only a concern when people are doing strong drugs that artificially affect bleeding as well. By itself, fish oil is homeostatic, meaning prevents blood clots. (which is a good thing).

Massive dosing...like 13-20 grams a day should be monitored by a doctor. Some severe autoimmune disease is treated with
massive amounts of fish oil...but not commonly.

Thanks Mrs.D but I'm slow. So is 1200mg ok for me and I should not have problems only benefit? Is the flaxseed also as good of an alternative?

flax is always good...
 

Always! The fish oil is less than you would get if you ate a serving of salmon.

We should ALL increase our intake of Flax (ALA ) Omega-3 and the long chain
EPA and DHA from fish.

So the 1200mg fish oil pill I'm taking is good and will not harm?

Severe DHA Deficiency, and Vegan DHA/EPA Capsules vs Mercury-flavoured Oily Fish
 

Hello daniella,

I am a vegetarian with a strange sense of humour, and multiple nutritional disorders and other problems (see my thread on Errors in Pathology). You need to take my comment about mercury-flavoured oily fish in that context. There are, however, real concerns about contamination of fish, not so much the oil, and a worldwide shortage of fish.

I intend to post a list of links to references, on this thread soon. These might help you.

In answer to your questions:

1. According to my understanding of the most recent post by mrsd, the quantity of 1200mg a day of fish oil is safe. I have not done my own research on this because I prefer my fish to be swimming in the sea.

2. There are conflicting claims about the risk of heavy-metal contamination of fish oil. As mrsd has correctly pointed out, the processing should remove any mercury. I suggest that you look up your brand on the Internet; the supplier is likely to say so if it has been tested. Here are links to reports on this subject (they found no contamination in any brand tested):

http://www.spectroscopymag.com/spect...01/article.pdf

http://arpa.allenpress.com/arpaonlin...C%3E2.0.CO%3B2

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/408125_print

Note the caution in the conclusion of the second report:

And in the third report:

3. What is called flaxseed in North America is the same as what we call linseed in Australia.

4. Linseeds are an excellent source of ALA but, unlike fish oils, do not contain EPA or DHA. As previously mentioned by mrsd, females can convert much more ALA to EPA and DHA than males. It is possible to take ground linseeds instead of fish oil if you are able to convert them. I am initially using walnuts because they are an excellent source of both LA and ALA, although not as much ALA as the linseeds.

5. Before commencing any EFA supplements, I suggest that you have your EFAs measured. You need to consider my advice on this in the context of my strong belief in "evidence based medicine", probably the result of my background in applied science and engineering. By this I mean that I ask for scientific evidence of existence of disease or deficiency, and scientific evidence of effectivenesss and safety of any treatment. Others might advise you differently; you need to make your own decision. Here is a quote that I agree with (source: http://www.explorepub.com/articles/nutrition2.html):

If you are in North America, these labs can do the tests (there are probably others that I have not found yet):

Genova Diagnostics

Metametrix

6. I will post the results of my "walnut therapy" after I receive them, in about three weeks.

Paul

I am using Nordic naturals ... the naturpath carried the "pharmacutical " only pro ser5ies which I found had the same amounts of omega 3, 6 and 9 as the non pro ones... it has borage oil in place of flax , and fish oil... Flax oil can be hard to convert to what we need in some ....

I learned of this brand which does extensive tests to ensure the purest product from my vet and the animal accupucturist ... Yes the dogs and cats need Omega fattys too

www.nordicnaturals.com

Hi sharky....
 

We give our cats Eukanuba by Iams ..they put omega-3s in the food.
They have done wonderfully since I started that almost 10 yrs ago.
Our oldest cat is very allergic to corn, and Eukanuba fixed her skin sores very
nicely.

Because there are concerns that fish are being over harvested now to provide fish oil, scientists have been working to create a transgenic species of plant to provide this nutrient for us.

Here is a new article on the progress of that experiement:
from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7097094.stm

I don't know how this will be received by the American public, who have in the past fought aggressively against transgenic species.

I dont do any engineered food stuffs... but that is me I think it may be a great idea for those who dont have issues with it ...

in dog s and cats the omega 3 should be found with far more omega 6 ///

ratio s typically found to be good
10 to 1 down to 5 to 1 .... omega 6 to omega 3...

Thanks. I know there is an issue with mercury in some fish. I used to eat too much tuna so I lowered the amount. I heard its not a concern though in the pills. I was more concerned with any other issues it could cause. Mrs. D do you take these? So would you say my 1200mg fish oil is good?
Paul I like your opening about you. That was cute. Please let us know about the therapy?Do you feel any difference though in your body in the sense of pain/fatigue?

we've used
 

EFAs for over 10 yrs. The kind I have now are double strength, enteric coated.

I started my son on them, long ago, and they fixed his acne and ADHD, so he
could stop Ritalin. Did you not read the beginning of this thread?

If you have qualms, then certainly don't use them. I don't understand your
reasoning however. The body cannot live you know without them. They are called essential for that reason.

I suggest you read the book:

The Omega Diet: The Lifesaving Nutritional Program Based on the Diet of the Island of Crete by Artemis P. Simopoulos and Jo Robinson
Check it out at Amazon.com
Dr. Simopoulos MD has specialized in this subject for over 25 yrs. She is an expert.

I use nordic naturals as well, and recommend them to patients all the time.

Thanks. I just have become so nervous about everything and fear it may cause a problem even if its one in a million.I'm trying to work on that. I know its a supplement and people take them all the time. I will look through those. I'm sure after all the years of abuse to my body I'm lacking this omega. My old psych encouraged them for the mental issues I was going through. He was a great psych cause he encourage a combination of things not just anti depressents.