ALA ................ Essential?

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

I just got a note from my contact at the Physicians Health Study.

They very recently released a study which confirmed that ALA appears

to actively promote prostate cancer, and especially, apparently, ALA

from plant sources.

I had asked whether ALA was an essential fat in its own right, or

whether it was only needed for the production of DHA and EPA, which,

of course, can be obtained directly from food sources that do not

contain ALA.

His answer was that he knows of no specific need for ALA apart from

the body's ability to convert it to omega-3s. But he also said he

knows of no studies that have looked at the effects of zero ALA

intake.

So caution suggests not to try to eliminate intake of ALA entirely.

Among the items containing significant quantities of ALA (which,

ironically, appears very beneficial with respect to CHD) are flax,

canola and soybean oils. I avoid them like the plague, fwiw.

Safflower oil contains almost none of it and plenty of genuinely

essential, and beneficial, linoleic acid.

Rodney.

[Guest guest]

Hi Logan:

It was based on the foods being eaten by the (48,000?) (north

american) physicians whose dietary and other habits were being

investigated in the study.

Rodney.

> > I just got a note from my contact at the Physicians Health

Study.

> > They very recently released a study which confirmed that ALA

> appears

> > to actively promote prostate cancer, and especially, apparently,

> ALA

> > from plant sources.