Omega 3

[beatle]

Omega 3

DHA and EPA are made by microalgae that live in seawater. These are then consumed by fish and accumulate to high levels in their internal organs. If a person has ethical concerns about killing fish, or is concerned about mercury and oceanborne contaminants in fish, DHA can be produced directly from microalgae as a vegetarian source. (Wikipedia)

[peacenik]

Omega 3

that's what i was referring to beatle, thanks!

[Determinator]

Omega 3

so we can buy the algae? I don't think I've ever seen that for sale before. I wonder if it's more or less cost effective than high quality mercury-free krill oil (which is pretty expensive). Thanks Beatle will check it out

[Determinator]

Omega 3

some discussion on whole foods vs supplements here along with some interesting links for further study:
Food better than supplements for omega-3, says ADA

it appears there is potential merit in the algae product, although I doubt there are any long term studies as it's a relatively new method for obtaining Omega 3's

[Determinator]

Omega 3

I first became aware of the health benefits of Omega3's in the early 90's from a book by Dr Barry Sears. I should have thought to see if he had a website. d-uh! DrSears.com | The Science Site of Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition

Peace, in answer to your question it does seem as though something is very different about the way fish oil presents DHA and EPA for human consumption vs flax. I should email him and as about the algae.

Ask Dr. Sears

Q: Thank you for sharing your latest groundbreaking research recently in New York. Due to the overwhelming amount of questions, I was unable to ask the following: I take cod liver oil daily. In a 12/29/09 NY Science Times article it was recommended using flaxseed oil rather than fish oil as the latter contains unknown amounts of vitamin A, which in excess can be detrimental to bones. I am concerned with bone loss. What is your recommendation?

A: It is only the liver oils that are rich in vitamin A. The fish body oils are devoid of Vitamin A. Flaxseed oil has no Vitamin A either, but the short-chain omega-3 fatty acids in flaxseed oil are very poorly converted to the long-chain omega-3 fatty acid (EPA and DHA) that gives fish oil its remarkable benefits. I am surprised that the Science Times would make such statements without a little fact-checking.

[Sunbeam]

Omega 3

Thanks, Det. The Times may have been what I read.

[peacenik]

Omega 3

interesting!

[Hypernova]

Omega 3

Good article explaining the essential fatty acids and their importance of producing prostaglandins which are hormone like substances in the body that have some pretty profound effects on health.

Comparison of Flax Oil vs. Fish Oil and Borage Oil: Are You Lacking the Enzyme to Digest Flax Oil?

If the article seems long winded skip to the last paragraph or read it below

If all of that complex metabolic chemistry is confusing, just take Level1Diet.com's word for it -- while flax seed oil may not hurt you much, a much better choice for most of us would be fish and borage oils. For more information, read more about flax oil, borage oil and fish oil at the Level1Diet.com web site -- The Anti-Inflammation Diet: Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Eat & Avoid, Supplements to Take & How Much to Exercise.

[beatle]

Omega 3

I don't see Evening Primrose Oil mentioned here. Is that something entirely different?

[Isolde]

Omega 3

I've been spending so much time in the bac forums that I have been missing out on some very interesting discussion in the Holistic Healing forum! It was pretty quiet in here for awhile.
I've recently begun supplementing with Omega 3s as a way to combat the dryness I was experiencing from the bac. I'm taking Udo's Choice, which is a balanced ratio of Omegas 3, 6 and 9. I started off taking twice the recommended amount and noticed a huge difference all around. I started a thread about it in the bac forums. My mood greatly improved, and I just felt better overall. Those initial effects have leveled off somewhat, but I will continue to take this oil for a long time. I've recently dropped down to the recommended 1 tablespoon a day, as it's too expensive to be going through a bottle every 2 weeks!
I was doing some reading the other day, and found the information about plant based omegas, about how we may only be getting minimal amounts of DHA from them, as they are not readily assimilated by the body. The Udo's Choice is all plant based - flaxseed, sesame, evening primrose. The book I was reading this info. in recommended getting Omegas from both plant and fish based sources. So I was wondering if I should try to find a good quality fish oil, or maybe just try and get more fish in my diet. I used to take a great fish oil that was actually produced by The Zone's Barry Sears, excellent quality, but I can't find it anymore. Krill oil is prohibitively expensive. I have a bottle of fish oil pills that I'm trying to finish off that I got from the Vitamin Shoppe awhile ago. I'm not sure how good the quality is, but it seemed to be one of the better ones there. I tend to forget to take them - since I absolutely have to take them with food or suffer the consequences.
So I was debating - try to eat more fish, or pick up some cod liver oil? I used to hear about Carlson's all the time. I do buy organic milk with added DHA, not sure how much I'm really getting from that though.

What do you guys think? What's the best way to get non-plant based Omega 3?

[looking for peace]

Omega 3

I just started taking Genuine Health's Omega 3 + Joy. Its a 20:1 ratio EPA/DHA and it has vitamin E. I was really looking for mood support. Our family therapist (a psychologist) recommended it. He has a very holistic approch and recommends books, websites, breathing excersises, yoga, spiritual work, etc. I've never had a counsellor do that before. I will let you know how the Omega + Joy is working. How long did it take others to feel mood relief after adding Omega ?

[Bruunhilde]

Omega 3

I think the latest information shows that we get too much 6 and not enough 3 in our diets, and that 6 grams of fish oil or a combo of fish and other (borage or primrose for example) would be mood altering, also helps with AL craving. I use Costco's enteric coated fish oil.

I take my fish oil and evening primrose with calcium because we're supposed to be getting 1500mg of calcium daily, and calcium needs fat to cross the bone blood border. And calcium needs magnesium for best absorbability too. Since you can get calcium packaged with magnesium and vitamin D, which we also need alot more of than we get in our diets, I take it all in one. Plus I take an extra 4000mg of vitamin D. All of this helps mood.

Magnesium, for example, is calming but it can cause diarrhea, so it's good to use internally to offset constipation. If you're taking baclofen, which can cause constipation, magnesium is good adjunct therapy.

I definitely drink more when I am off the fish oil for a long time.

Note, if you freeze the capsules, you shouldn't have any fishy "burp" problems that some people get after taking fish oil.

[BlondeAFAmbition]

Omega 3

You could definitely increase the fish liver oil to 2x daily, one in the morning and one at night. I agree with Determinator, the best sources of Omega 3 are from fish liver oil, not plant based sources. Flaxseed and Borage oil are also valuable to add to your diet, but not as a primary supplement for Omega 3, which should come from high quality fish liver oil.

[Bruunhilde]

Omega 3

Agree re fish oil being top of the list by far.

Fish oil can help with AL cravings at something like double the dose most people take.