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Fish Oil vs. Flaxseed Oil

July 30, 2007 | 5 Comments

Last week the question came up about the difference between fish oil and flaxseed oil.  First here are some basics.  The “money” fatty acids in fish oil are EPA/DHA; these are long chain omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids.  Flaxseed oil contains the short chain n-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).  While these three fatty acids may seem similar because they are all n-3 fatty acids but in fact they function very differently physiologically.

One cannot apply findings such as weight loss, triglyceride lowering, protection from sudden death, improvements in joint function seen with fish oil supplementation to flaxseed or ALA supplementation (or just increased intake).  Many will argue (especially those that sell flaxseed oil and flaxseed oil supplements) that ALA can be converted to EPA and then DHA via elongation and desaturation.  However this conversion is EXTREMELY poor, especially in men (estimated by some to be as low as 1-2%).  The bad news is that the conversion gets even worse the older you get.

ALA does have unique and beneficial effects as well so consuming both EPA/DHA and ALA is recommended.  Three good sources of ALA are walnuts, flaxseed/flaxseed oil, and canola oil.  Flaxseed oil does not have a pleasant taste so a great option is garlic-chili infused flaxseed oil.  It is awesome on salads.   You also do not want to heat or cook with flaxseed oil because it is very prone to oxidation.

This article was written by Mike Roussell.
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Written by Mike Roussell · Filed Under Blog 

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5 Responses to “Fish Oil vs. Flaxseed Oil”

  1. Theron on July 30th, 2007 10:45 am

    thanks

  2. More on Flax (and alpha linolenic acid) | Naked Nutrition Blog on July 31st, 2007 2:33 pm

    [...] « Fish Oil vs. Flaxseed Oil [...]

  3. Omega-6 Fats - Good, Bad, or Indifferent | Naked Nutrition Blog on November 15th, 2007 3:21 am

    [...] written before about the differences between omega-3 fats – alpha-linolenic (from flax) vs. EPA and DHA (from [...]

  4. Gabrielle on October 28th, 2008 3:16 am

    I like your comment regarding ALA.
    Along with ALA, EPA and DHA is also recommended. Studies show that EPA and DHA have been shown to reduce heart rate and increase left venticular filling capacity.
    Fish are the major source of EPA and DHA.

    –Comment Edited by Admin–
    No Blatant Product Promotion is allow – C’mon, Comment Spam isn’t cool.

  5. Richard on April 10th, 2009 10:37 pm

    My question is in regards to “borage oil”. I started taking it because of a skin problem I have, but then I did some research and found that a placebo worked better. (crud) But does the oil have some ALA benefits or should I just save my money?

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