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Fish oil, omega-3 oil, omega-3 essential fatty acids. These are all rapidly becoming household words, as we are hearing more about them in the press. Not too long ago, a recommendation of omega-3 fatty acids would have been met with a blank stare.
But the benefits of fish oil are plentiful and it turns out most of us just aren't getting enough omega-3's for our health. Be aware though, that all omega-3's are not created equal.
"... many of the foods you find at the supermarket are supplemented instead with alpha-linoleic acid (ALA), the type of omega-3 found in nuts and flax seeds. Cardiologists believe it does not have the same benefits, because the body does a poor job at converting ALA to EPA. 'There may be differences in effectiveness,' says James Stein, head of preventive cardiology at the University of Wisconsin Medical School. So if you are buying a supplement for the heart benefits, make sure it contains EPA or DHA and not ALA."
http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/09/omega-fatty-acids-lifestyle-health-heart-disease.html?feed=rss_forbeslife_health
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This is very true.
Flax and fish do not provide the same benefits. Yes, they both have Omega-3. But your body has to go thru a long and complicated process to convert the Omega-3 from Flax to usable forms. Teenage girls can convert about 20% of flax oil into usable forms. But adult women convert only about 7% and adult men even less, probably about 5%.
Have to dig around quite a bit to find more but here is some more info:
http://www.omegavia.com/flaxseed-oil-vs-fish-oil/
So Flax is not a total waste. There are a lot of nutrients in flaxseeds - they are great for adding into salads and cereals.
April 21, 2010 - 7:31pmThis Comment