Fish Oil vs. Flaxseed Oil
July 30, 2007
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.
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[...] « Fish Oil vs. Flaxseed Oil [...]
[...] written before about the differences between omega-3 fats - alpha-linolenic (from flax) vs. EPA and DHA (from [...]
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.
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No Blatant Product Promotion is allow - C’mon, Comment Spam isn’t cool.
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