You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Flax Oil Vs. Fish Oil
- Thread starter fitwes16
- Start date
fitwes16 said:I am thinking about adding either Flax or Fish oil to my diet for some EFA's. Which is better in your opinion and why? Also, what are the prices for each?
do a search, this question comes up about once a week
fish oil.
flaxseed oil (any source of omega 3 that's plant based for that matter) will contain alpha linoleic acid.
one side of the fence says this increases men's risk of prostate cancer.
the other side says it helps prevent it.
until they have conclusive evidence, i'll stick to fish oil caplets.
flaxseed oil (any source of omega 3 that's plant based for that matter) will contain alpha linoleic acid.
one side of the fence says this increases men's risk of prostate cancer.
the other side says it helps prevent it.
until they have conclusive evidence, i'll stick to fish oil caplets.
read this whole thread: http://www.fitness.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15486
Cynic said:Add both. Fish and flax have different EFAs and you need them both.
not trying to argue, but can you elaborate?
my fish oil caps have 600mg of omega 3, 300mg EPA, 200mg DHA, and 100mg 'other'.
omega 3's are the hard ones to get. nuts will provide omega 6 and its my understanding most 'healthy diets' won't be deficient in omega 9 or omega 6.
malkore said:not trying to argue, but can you elaborate?
my fish oil caps have 600mg of omega 3, 300mg EPA, 200mg DHA, and 100mg 'other'.
omega 3's are the hard ones to get. nuts will provide omega 6 and its my understanding most 'healthy diets' won't be deficient in omega 9 or omega 6.
Flax has ALA. The body will convert ALA to EPA and DHA, but at a pitully low ratio.
The other is most likely a non-EFA poly fat.
About the 6 and 9, I hear we get plenty in a regular diet, in fact we're probably at an imbalance between 3 and 6 because 6 is so common.
and the ALA is what concerns me. apparently not everyone can even convert ALA into EPA and DHA, making flax 'less effective' for that percentage of the population.
plus the unsuredness about whether ALA increases prostate cancer (I'm a male) concerns me too. its like soy protein...nobody agrees if soy increases estrogen in men or not...so I too avoid it when I can.
just to theorize...I think the process of converting ALA to EPA/DHA might cause free radicals, which are known to increase cancer risks. or possibly, when you can't convert ALA to EPA/DHA...perhaps that ALA degrades into radicals.
Or, possibly, its all BS and ALA is fine, but just not usable by some.
plus the unsuredness about whether ALA increases prostate cancer (I'm a male) concerns me too. its like soy protein...nobody agrees if soy increases estrogen in men or not...so I too avoid it when I can.
just to theorize...I think the process of converting ALA to EPA/DHA might cause free radicals, which are known to increase cancer risks. or possibly, when you can't convert ALA to EPA/DHA...perhaps that ALA degrades into radicals.
Or, possibly, its all BS and ALA is fine, but just not usable by some.
malkore said:and the ALA is what concerns me. apparently not everyone can even convert ALA into EPA and DHA, making flax 'less effective' for that percentage of the population.
You still need to have the poly unsat fat, and flax is one of two sources I know are high in it.
The other is Grapeseed oil. It doesn't have the ALA EFA, but it's 10g of poly unsat fat / tablespoon. I have it, it's not bad (fairly tasteless).
If you're concerned about the ALA, try grapeseed oil.