RE: Omega 3's/flax/cod liver [was: What's so g reat about flax oil?]

[Guest guest]

Daphne wrote:

> Could someone please spell out the acronyms below: PUFA, LNA, DHA,

> and EPA -- and provide explanations or point out references?

Here you go...

Omega Abbrev Long

6 LA Linoleic Acid

3 LNA Alpha-Linolenic Acid

both PUFA Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (both

omega 3 and 6)

both LCPUFA Long-chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids

3 DHA Docosahexanoic Acid

3 EPA Eicosapentanoic Acid

6 AA Arachidonic Acid

* PUFA refers to all polyunsaturated fatty acids (AA, DHA, EPA, GLA, LA,

ALA, etc)

* LCPUFA refers to DHA, EPA, GLA, AA as well as others

* LNA is the precursor of omega 3 LCPUFAs

* LA is the precursor of omega 6 LCPUFAs

* DHA and EPA are important omega 3 fatty acids which are typically

associated

with fish oil but are also present in other animal sources (especially

grass-fed).

They are critical to many things including nervous tissues and

prostaglandins.

* AA is an Omega 6 LCPUFA which is associated with animal products. It too

is a

critical component of many biological processes and structures including

prostaglandins and nervous tissue.

> I've been wondering about Omega 3's too. Is it necessary to take flax

> oil if you're taking cod liver oil regularly? Also what is the

> difference among brands of cod liver oil? As a student on a budget,

> I went for the Twinlab's Dale variety. Is that good

> enough?

Hopefully one of the doctors will weigh in on this one too, but I believe

that this depends on what the rest of your diet looks like. If you consume

fairly large amounts of grains or nuts that are high in omega 6 relative to

omega 3, you might want to consume enough flax oil to compensate. This is

relatively complex though and requires a pretty thorough look at your diet.

If you largely eschew most relatively high omega 6 products

and you favor grass-fed meats and wild-caught ocean fish, flax oil probably

is not a necessary addition. However, I think that it's a good idea to use

flax oil for LNA if you need to balance out any " excess " LA consumption.

I don't know much about the relative quality of various brands of

supplemental

oils, so I'll leave that one entirely to someone else...

> Dear ,

> I have wondered both silently and aloud on these very questions

> and as far as I am concerned you are absolutely correct. It is clear

> that excess PUFA's are toxic and poisonous even in slight excess.

> Usually the PUFA deficiencies that are observed are with people who

> are not converting and processing their fats well. I am not

> suggesting not to eat PUFA's however your line of thinking as to how

> to get them is right on the money.

> This single biggest thing I'm confused about after reading a lot

> about traditional nutrition is flax oil. I understand and

appreciate

> our need for omega-3's, but why on earth would anyone want to get

> them from LNA instead of DHA and EPA? The conversion rate from LNA

to

> EPA and DHA is awful - about 2% to 4%. The absorbtion rate of omega-

> 3's is not good w/o saturated fat, but most people take flax as a

> supplement or mixed with olive oil in a salad.

>

> As the WAP site points out repeatedly, excessive polyunsaturates

can

> do you harm and that we mostly consume our omega's in trace amounts

> with whole foods. So why violate that principle by taking flax oil?

>

>