Omega 3 Supplements

brianon

I have heard a lot of good things about these and want to take some supplements. Anyone recommend a make ? and maybe where to buy ?

ronbyrne2005

Organic flax seed oil in any health food store. take two desert spoons a day maybe mixed in a smoothie or blended with yougurt/milk and banana, or just swallow it by itself at meal times .

junii

I currently take cod liver oil. Is there enough omega 3 fatty acids in this or should you take flax seeds also?

g'em

well if you want to be pedantic... Cod liver oil in the winter and for people that don't get a lot of sunshine, Fish oil for summer and when you get plenty of sunshine. Dosage would be about 1 teaspoon or 1000 mg of oil per 50 lbs body weight.

Flax contains the Omega 3 fatty acid alpha linoleic acid (ALA). Your body can't utilze this directly, but must first convert it to the longer chain Omega 3 essential fatty acids Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Studies have shown that the conversion rate of ALA to EPA/DHA is at best 10% in healthy individuals. This means that if you have a healthy metabolism, you would have to consume 1000 mg of ALA to get 100 mg of usable EPA/DHA. If you have abnormal lipids, then your metabolism is likely compromised and your conversion rate would probably be less than 10%.

Both Cod liver oil and fish oil contain the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA - no conversion necessary - it goes right into the tissues. Cod liver oil also contains large amounts of Vitamin D and Vitamin A. While these are also necessary in your diet, excessive amounts can have a negative effect on your health. Your body produces Vitamin D from cholesterol when the skin is exposed to sunshine. The reason for using fish oil in summer/sunshine rather than Cod liver oil is that fish oil doesn't contain Vitamin D; therefore, you won't build up excessive amounts of vitamin D. Most people don't get enough sunshine in the winter months, so Cod liver oil is entirely appropriate and a quite beneficial source of vitamin D under those conditions.

Flax contains Omega-3 but not DHA. So a good quality cod live oil or fish oil will do the job.

Personally I supplement with both :rolleyes:

brianon

good replies. Thanks guys. Think I'll pick up both cod liver and fish oil

ronbyrne2005

g'em wrote:

Flax contains the Omega 3 fatty acid alpha linoleic acid (ALA). Your body can't utilze this directly, but must first convert it to the longer chain Omega 3 essential fatty acids Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).



Flax contains Omega-3 but not DHA. So a good quality cod live oil or fish oil will do the job.

Contradiction?

Flax oil is fine by itself, 10% of two desert spoonfuls will give you enough of epa and dha.Let your body decide how much of each it should convert ALA into.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

junii

g'em wrote:

well if you want to be pedantic... Cod liver oil in the winter and for people that don't get a lot of sunshine, Fish oil for summer and when you get plenty of sunshine. Dosage would be about 1 teaspoon or 1000 mg of oil per 50 lbs body weight.

Flax contains the Omega 3 fatty acid alpha linoleic acid (ALA). Your body can't utilze this directly, but must first convert it to the longer chain Omega 3 essential fatty acids Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Studies have shown that the conversion rate of ALA to EPA/DHA is at best 10% in healthy individuals. This means that if you have a healthy metabolism, you would have to consume 1000 mg of ALA to get 100 mg of usable EPA/DHA. If you have abnormal lipids, then your metabolism is likely compromised and your conversion rate would probably be less than 10%.

Both Cod liver oil and fish oil contain the essential fatty acids EPA and DHA - no conversion necessary - it goes right into the tissues. Cod liver oil also contains large amounts of Vitamin D and Vitamin A. While these are also necessary in your diet, excessive amounts can have a negative effect on your health. Your body produces Vitamin D from cholesterol when the skin is exposed to sunshine. The reason for using fish oil in summer/sunshine rather than Cod liver oil is that fish oil doesn't contain Vitamin D; therefore, you won't build up excessive amounts of vitamin D. Most people don't get enough sunshine in the winter months, so Cod liver oil is entirely appropriate and a quite beneficial source of vitamin D under those conditions.

Flax contains Omega-3 but not DHA. So a good quality cod live oil or fish oil will do the job.

Personally I supplement with both :rolleyes:

Thanks for the explanation. So basically what your saying is from the 3 omega fatty acids two are only required in your body which can be got from cod liver oil or fish oil. There is also a third (ALA) that comes in flax seeds which must be broken down into EPA/DHA so your body can use it thus rendering it unnecessary really when you already have sufficient amounts of EPA/DHA. Am I correct?

Why do you still supplement with both? (assuming you meant cod liver oil and flax seeds rather than cod liver oil and fish oil)