Nutrition made Simple Newsletter
Vol. 1. No. 7
FISH OR FLAXSEEDS? WHEN THE SOURCE MAKES A DIFFERENCE
As I have said before, those of you with serious memory, cognitive processing impairments, mood/emotional issues, may not be converting enough of the flax oil form of Omega-3 fats, LNA 1to its derivative forms: EPA and DHA. More and more information is coming out about how our poor diets affect this problem and that many of us need fish oil also, either indefinitely or until our health and diets improve enough to make those conversions effectively. If you wonder about the need for the fish oil, try it, in addition to the flax oil for a period of time - 2-3 months - and observe the difference. Part I of the information below discusses the potential need for more variety in the Omega-3 oils supplemented. Part II looks at the dietary issues and health challenges that might indicate that in addition to flax and fish oil, a person would also need a third form of fatty acid, specifically GLA, an Omega-6 fat which derives from Linoleic Acid (LA) in a healthy cell in the body. ______________________________________________________________________________ Part I Fish and Flax or Flax Oil only? For maximum benefit, specific criteria should be considered when determining which Omega-3 fatty acids anyone should supplement. It is my belief that all of us need some freshly ground flaxseeds and/ or flaxseed oil every single day. The next question to answer is, whether additional Omega-3’s are needed. The person’s ability, either through cellular structure or dietary habits, to convert the “mother” or more general purpose Essential Omega-3 fatty acid, LNA, into the derivative oils, EPA and DHA, must be observed symptomatically or through a dietary questionnaire. If the diet contains hydrogenated or trans fats, then there is a likelihood that their body is somewhat unable or inefficient in the conversion of LNA into the more neuromuscular/neurologically specific EPA and DHA forms. In any nutritional counseling I do, I assume that the client will see the benefits of the whole food nutrition available, from the other pieces of the Nutrition Made Simple program, which largely answers the co-factor deficiency issue (# 3 below). So, over time, using the Juice Plus+ fruit and vegetable products, and the vegetable proteins I recommend without fail, will bring those deficiencies into balance. The degree to which the other issues are addressed must be considered on an individual basis. Degree of need: Only up to 15% of ALA (also called LNA) is converted to EPA and 5% of DHA at best. This means that for most people, and especially in those with other health issues, supplementation with flaxseed oil [only] may not produce desired benefits. In addition it is critical to note that trans-fats completely inhibit conversion to EPA, therefore, supplying preformed EPA and DHA from fish oil is preferred.
Targeting specific health concerns: The biological effects of preformed EPA and DHA are much stronger than ALA on parameters related to specific health concerns. In other words, because of the more specific uses involved in the derivative oils, illnesses and deficiencies are more obvious, symptomatically. So, when needed, fish oils are the optimal means of enhancing EPA and DHA in the body, on a gram for gram basis. The following factors will inhibit conversion of ALA (LNA) to EPA and DHA: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Saturated, hydrogenated, and trans fats and LA inhibit up to 40%; Alcohol consumption; Cofactor nutrient deficiencies: Vitamins B3, B6, C, or minerals zinc and magnesium; Health conditions such as diabetes; Some prescription Drugs; Other autoimmune disorders.
All Pregnant women should be taking an EPA/DHA supplements to allow the neurological cell development of the fetus!!!!
Suggested intake of fish oils: Always EPA and DHA together and 2-4 gr. of fish oil capsules per day.
______________________________________________________________________ BE VERY, VERY CAREFUL ABOUT THE BRANDS OF EFA’s YOU BUY. I SUGGEST THAT YOU AVOID FISH OILS FROM AMERICAN WATERS AND BUY THEM FROM THE ARCTIC REGIONS OR FROM SCANDINAVIAN SOURCES. TO AVOID HEAVY METAL ESPECIALLY MERCURY TOXICITIES, BUY THE MICROFILTERED OILS, LIKE FROM NORDIC NATURAL. BUY ONLY COLD PRESSED VACUUM EXPRESSED FLAX OIL, LIKE THE BARLEAN’S BRAND, OR USE THE FLAX SEED, FRESHLY GROUND, AT A RATIO OF 3 TBSP OF SEEDS TO 1 TBSP OF OIL.
PART II WHEN DO YOU ALSO NEED TO SUPPLEMENT THE OMEGA-6 FATS?
This question, along with the issue of how much flax and how much fish oil, have haunted me, and every other good nutritionists that I know. So, in an attempt to answer it, I am going to generally describe dietary patterns and health concerns which in my opinion, do indicate the possible need to eat and supplement EFA’s in the form of GLA (gamma-linolenic acid), the derivative, preformed oil form LA (linolenic acid). The concern is the overabundance and imbalanced ratio between the Omega-6 fats and the Omega-3 fats in the American diet. Since the middle of the last century, we have increasingly consumes an increasing amount of vegetable oils, which are almost exclusively Omega-6 or Omega-9 fats. This is at the expense of the Omega-3 fats, which are no longer found in our meat sources via grass fed herds. We eat less fish than before, and have greater risk for contaminated fish when we do. The current ratio is estimated at 20:1 to as high as 40:1. Our ancestors ate 1:1 or at most 2:1. Thus we
are contaminating our bodies with these more inflammatory fats, in pure and in hydrogenated/trans fat forms. This trend is having a devastating effect on our culture. So it is with great reluctance that I ever recommend the supplementation of an Omega-6 fat…but there are times when one should consider the addition of either a Borage Oil or Evening Primrose oil supplement, as a test, to see if symptoms improve. When? For a person who exhibits these problems or has these dietary issues: 1. Celiac Sprue or any other absorption issue; 2. Excess dietary cholesterol, saturated and monounsaturated fat; 3. Consumption of processed oils and trans-fats; 4. Alcohol and sugar consumption; 5. Diabetic and prediabetic conditions (including neuropathy); 6. Rheumatoid arthritis; 7. Aging; 8. Adrenal fatigue/failure; 9. Eczema and dermatitis; 10. Rapid, unexplained weight loss; 11. Sjogrens disease. For those people, you might want to order the Barlean’s Omega-Twin products which are a combination of Omega-3 oils from flax seed and Omega-6 oils from Borage Oil. __________________________________________________________________________________ The Nordic Naturals and Barleans brands are available for sale on my web site @ http://www.nutritionmadesimple.net/ or at my seminars. Call or email me at twcook@nutritionmadesimple.net or call me at 1-888-235-0863 or local Dallas Area 972-889-2729
Definitions excerpted from Udo Erasmus’s book “Fats that Heal Fats that Kill”. 1993, pp. 427-435. 1. Alpha-linolenic Acid or ALA, is also called LNA. It is the It is one of the two Essential Fatty Acids, because our body cannot make it, and therefore must be eaten. It is absolutely essential for life, health, brain functioning, growth, immunity, cellular production and repair, and the reduction of inflammation. It is the “mother” Omega-3 oil and more general in its many uses. It converts in the body to 2. EPA. Eicosapentaenoic Acid or EPA is the next major “derivative oil” from LNA in the body. It is a longer chain (20-carbons/5 double bonds) fatty acid, with more double bonds and is slightly more specialized in its use. It is the parent substance from which the body makes series 3 prostaglandins that decrease inflammation, water retention, and blood pressure by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory, waterretaining, artery-constricting series-2 prostaglandins. In the body, it is further converted to DHA. 3. Docosahexaenoic Acid or DHA is a still longer chain fatty acid (22 carbons/6 double bonds. It is found in large concentrations in cold-water fish and marine animals, and also in retina, brain, adrenals, and testes. 4. Essential Fatty Acids or EFA’s: The two fats, which the body must have, but cannot, manufacture or synthesize. They are Linoleic Acid (LA) and Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA or LNA). All EFA’s and their derivatives are highly sensitive to being oxidized or turned rancid by exposure to oxygen, heat, or light either before consumption or in the body. It is very important to consume effective antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes to ensure the health and functioning of the EFA’s in the body. Oxidized or rancid fats are harmful to the body, causing more damage to the cells, rather than repairing or healing them.
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5. Linoleic Acid or LA: An 18-carbon fatty acid with 2 double bonds. One of the two essential fatty acids. Its absence is fatal. Deficiency causes severe problems in every cells, tissue, and organ. The body makes several other important substances form LA. LA rich foods include the seeds and oils of safflower, sunflower, hemp, soybeans, corn, and most nuts. Their consumption has increased by a factor of about 10X or more, since 1850. 6. Gamma-Linoleic Acid or GLA: An 18 carbon chain fatty acid derived from the essential linoleic acid by healthy cells, also found in hemp, Borage, and evening primrose oils. GLA may help in condition in which the body’s ability to make it from linoleic acid may be impaired. Its best successes are in PMS and Arthritis. 7. Partially, fully hydrogenated or trans fats: Hydrogenation is a commercial process by which liquid oils are turned into plastic or hard fats, by breaking double bonds in fatty acids and forming bonds with hydrogen instead, thereby saturating the carbon atoms with hydrogen. When the carbons are only partially saturated, the oil is said to be partially hydrogenated. When fully bound to hydrogen, the fat is a completely hydrogenated fat and becomes a trans fatty acid. In any form, partially or fully hydrogenated, these fats impair the body’s ability to function, cause inflammations, damage or completely destroy cell membranes, inhibit neurological functioning, coat the arteries and veins with a very hard plaque-like waxy substance and more. 8. Trans- configuration: The spatial arrangement in which hydrogen atoms on the carbons involved in a double bond are found on opposite sides of the molecule, damaging it and its functionality. 9. Saturated fatty acid: A fatty acid with no double bonds in the carbon chain, and with every possible position on the carbon atoms taken up by hydrogen atoms. 10. Flax: An ancient plant whose seed oil is the riches source of alpha-linolenic acid, LNA. It contains protein, minerals, and vitamins. It is a rich source of mucilage and fiber, which help the body eliminate cholesterol and help prevent reabsorption of toxic wastes from the large intestine. 11. Lignans: From the flax plant, Lignans are rich in anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties. They are helpful in dealing with sex hormonal imbalances. 12. Lecithin: