Posted by JohnQ on April 28, 2002, at 14:59:47
In reply to Re: Omega-3 fish oil anybody?, posted by Will_Hung on April 27, 2002, at 16:41:33
> OH MY GOD I'VE CREATED A MONSTER!!!
>
> This thread just keeps on going...
>
> According to a number of sources on the internet:
> Flax seed oil does not contain EPA or DHA. These are the good sh*t as far as the brain is concerned. However, alpha-linolenic acid (which flax seed oil contains in large amounts) can be converted by the body into EPA but slowly and only to a limited degree. This means basically that you would have to ingest HUGE amounts of the stuff in order to get the same level of EPA into your bloodstream.Although it depends on the person, there is about a 25-35% conversion of linolenic acid to EPA/DHA. A tablespoon of flax contains about 7.5g's of linolenic acid, therefore you can expect about 2 grams EPA/DHA.
> I notice that many health food sites are promoting flax seed as a non-foul alternative to fish oil. While this may be true for the general health-related benefits of omega-3, it is not accurate to make that claim for the mental health benefits. If something works for the individual then by all means stick to it, but I for one will be sticking to my little fishy friends (for a little while longer at least).
poster:JohnQ
thread:104030
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020425/msgs/104371.html