Jump to content
RemedySpot.com

ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS

Rate this topic


Guest guest

Recommended Posts

Avacado is the only one I know of a right now. I am still studing the

foods that I can have and what is good for me. I really need some

vegitarian recipies. Could you share please? Myra

essential fatty acids

From: a Perza <chestnutt@...>

There has been talk of the fact that essential fatty acids are good in

getting rid of the yeast. Can someone please suggest what foods these

EFAs can be found in. I do not eat any fish or sea-food. Mostly a

vegitarian for the most part.

Would appreciate any assistance in this area..

Thanx all,

Best to you,

a

_

Subscription URL: /subscribe.cgi/candidiasis

Send blank message to this e-mail address if you want to:

TO UNSUBSCRIBE !!!!!!!!! :

candidiasis-unsubscribeonelist

To change status from normal to digest:

candidiasis-digestonelist

To change status from digest to normal:

candidiasis-normalonelist

To subscribe:

candidiasis-subscribeonelist

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a message dated 12/9/99 12:57:13 PM Pacific Standard Time,

chestnutt@... writes:

<<

There has been talk of the fact that essential fatty acids are good in

getting rid of the yeast. Can someone please suggest what foods these

EFAs can be found in. I do not eat any fish or sea-food. Mostly a

vegitarian for the most part. >>

I am vegetarian and I take flax seed oil pills, also you can use flax seeds

on cereal or in baked goods, or flaxseed oil in salad dressing. Any health

food store also sells EFA pills.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a message dated 12/9/99 2:31:15 PM Pacific Standard Time,

jdrsr@... writes:

<< Avacado is the only one I know of a right now. I am still studing the

foods that I can have and what is good for me. I really need some

vegitarian recipies. Could you share please? Myra >>

Olive oil is good too. Try the vegetarian times site, they have good recipes.

Ive been vegetarian for about 12 years, now I'm vegan...I still get plenty to

eat even though Im off yeast and wheat too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for the info. Cheerfully, Myra

Re: essential fatty acids

From: FemDomSoc@...

In a message dated 12/9/99 2:31:15 PM Pacific Standard Time,

jdrsr@... writes:

<< Avacado is the only one I know of a right now. I am still studing

the

foods that I can have and what is good for me. I really need some

vegitarian recipies. Could you share please? Myra >>

Olive oil is good too. Try the vegetarian times site, they have good

recipes.

Ive been vegetarian for about 12 years, now I'm vegan...I still get plenty

to

eat even though Im off yeast and wheat too..

_

Subscription URL: /subscribe.cgi/candidiasis

Send blank message to this e-mail address if you want to:

TO UNSUBSCRIBE !!!!!!!!! :

candidiasis-unsubscribeonelist

To change status from normal to digest:

candidiasis-digestonelist

To change status from digest to normal:

candidiasis-normalonelist

To subscribe:

candidiasis-subscribeonelist

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a message dated 12/9/99 9:27:34 PM Central Standard Time,

FemDomSoc@... writes:

<< Olive oil is good too. Try the vegetarian times site, they have good

recipes.

Ive been vegetarian for about 12 years, now I'm vegan...I still get plenty

to

eat even though Im off yeast and wheat too. >>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How old are you ? I'm 50 and have been a vegetarian for 14 yrs.

Most

young people are one for fad reasons but you seem to do it for health.

Good for you. I also use flax oil. It's the only thing I use on salads with

easy soy, fresh squeezed lemon and vege-sal. Flax oil and a little cayenne

are good on baked potatoes.

For a balance of omega 3 and 6, I think EPO should also be taken.

Edith

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you, , for the name of the magazine. The web URL is

http://www.vegetariantimes.com for anyone interested in going there.

Recently Maureen Salaman mentioned(hope recall of info is correct) that

borage oil is very good as an EFA and less expensive than flax seed oil.

Have you tried this or know anything about it being a good substitute?

Also, I'm interested in the difference between a vegetarian and a vegan in

relationship to how changing has helped you with candida concerns. What do

you eat for protein? Any information you can share is greatly appreciated.

Yours in Christ,

Joyce : )

http://www.precept.org

----------

> From: FemDomSoc@...

> candidiasisonelist

> Subject: Re: essential fatty acids

> Date: Thursday, December 09, 1999 10:27 PM

>

> From: FemDomSoc@...

>

> Olive oil is good too. Try the vegetarian times site, they have good

recipes.

> Ive been vegetarian for about 12 years, now I'm vegan...I still get

plenty to

> eat even though Im off yeast and wheat too.

>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Flax seed and flax seed oil is a great source of EFA , you can even find at HFS

oil labelled EFA oil. It is wonderful tasting, I use it nearly everyday.

a Perza <chestnutt@...> wrote:

There has been talk of the fact that essential fatty acids are good in

getting rid of the yeast. Can someone please suggest what foods these

EFAs can be found in. I do not eat any fish or sea-food. Mostly a

vegitarian for the most part.

Would appreciate any assistance in this area.

Thanx all,

Best to you,

a

------------------------------------------------------------------------

_

Subscription URL: /subscribe.cgi/candidiasis

Send blank message to this e-mail address if you want to:

TO UNSUBSCRIBE !!!!!!!!! :

candidiasis-unsubscribeonelist

To change status from normal to digest:

candidiasis-digestonelist

To change status from digest to normal:

candidiasis-normalonelist

To subscribe:

candidiasis-subscribeonelist

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Again Shawan:

Did you know that the Mannacleanse product is a source of 5 different kinds

of EFA's?

Namely, linoleic & oleic phosphatides, caprylic acid (an anti-Candida

nutrient), Omega 3 concentrate (from flax seed), Omega 6 concentrate (from

borage seed), and rice bran concentrate.

There are also 30 other very helpful ingredients.

May God bless you today.

Russ

>Flax seed and flax seed oil is a great source of EFA , you can even find at

HFS oil labelled EFA oil. It is wonderful tasting, I use it nearly everyday.

>

>a Perza <chestnutt@...> wrote:

>There has been talk of the fact that essential fatty acids are good in

>getting rid of the yeast. Can someone please suggest what foods these

>EFAs can be found in. I do not eat any fish or sea-food. Mostly a

>vegitarian for the most part.

>

>Would appreciate any assistance in this area.

>Thanx all,

>Best to you,

>a

>

>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>_

>

>Subscription URL: /subscribe.cgi/candidiasis

>

>

>Send blank message to this e-mail address if you want to:

>

>TO UNSUBSCRIBE !!!!!!!!! :

>

>candidiasis-unsubscribeonelist

>

>To change status from normal to digest:

>candidiasis-digestonelist

>

>To change status from digest to normal:

>candidiasis-normalonelist

>

>To subscribe:

>candidiasis-subscribeonelist

>

>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 8 months later...

The thing that concerns me here is the reference to Flaxseed oil as

" immature " Omega 3 and therefore inferior to the product which is described.

Actually the Omega 3 in flaxseed Oil is in the ration of 4 to 1 Omega 6. Of

course, Omega 6 is the one found in Soy bean oil, corn oil etc.

Dr. Budwig's empasis has been on the danger of hydrogenated fats.

She says that those such as vegetable shortenings are causes of trouble and

the worst fook one can eat is Margarine which is only one electron per

molecule away from plastic.something is wrong.

Dr. Budwig's success rate is 98% which is remarkable in light of the fact

that a good percentage of her patients are terminal when she gets them.

She would welcome anyone wishing to visit to observe her work. Bruce

Barlean spent three months in Germany observing her work and the processing

of oil for food before setting up his operation in 1989 which was the first

in the US.

I know that the Omega 3 in Flax oil will deteriorate after three weeks at

room temperature. I am wondering about the Omega 3 in fish oil. Perhaps

that is where the " immature " comes in.

Also it the Omega 3 in any oil is fully absorbed and useful it could well

need the protein with it as well. I would be concerned with that.

Cliff

essential fatty acids

>

>> I want my sister to take flax oil but she claims that she is also getting

>> omega 3s in her supplements.

>>

>In the days of Adelle , the essential

>fatty acids seemed simple (if you watched

>your spelling). Lenoleic acid, lenolenic

>acid, and arachidonic acid.

>

>And the simple way to get them was cod

>liver oil.

>

>Now we've got DHA, EPA, omega 3, omega 6,

>etc. And we're lost in a sea of detail.

>So I seize on any information that seems

>to coincide with what little I know

>(because keeping cancer free is the goal,

>not treating it).

>

>I've taken flax seed oil for years (and

>yogurt) without any proprietary interest

>in it being the best source of essential

>fatty acids. So when I was told that

>perilla oil might be a better source of

>the omega 3s, I paused.

>

>Then the following give and take made me

>consider that the old-fashioned fish oil

>might still be the oil of choice. I

>quote.

>---------

>(I am looking for one supplement that will

>give me the proper balance of omegas 3, 6,

>etc.)

>

>First, looking for one supplement that

>will give the proper balance of omegas 3,

>6, etc. is not a sensible thing to do,

>because the rest of your diet (almost

>anyone's diet) is overloaded with omega-6

>fatty acids.

>

>What you need to look for is a supplement

>that best supplies the omega-3s, which is

>what most people desperately need.

>

>Flaxseed oil does supply some omega-3 but

>it is " immature " omega-3, not the kind

>most needed by the body and it must be

>inefficiently converted to the most needed

>kind -- eicosapaentanoic acid (EPA).

>

>Still some flaxseed oil is beneficial if

>you make sure that it is not rancid by

>keeping it in the refrigerator or by using

>freshly-ground flax seed, which also gives

>you other highly useful nutirents such as

>lignans and fiber.

>

>The best source of omega-3 by far is

>concentrated fish oil. You can get this in

>several forms -- a mint liquid (Super

>MaxEPA), and a softgel (Mega EPA). Both

>of these also have docosahexanoic acid

>(DHA).

>---------

>So I continue to want to hear all sides

>instead of pet theories. And welcome

>statements of researchable facts rather

>than testimonials.

>

>

>Get HUGE info at http://www.cures for cancer.ws, and post your own links there.

Unsubscribe by sending email to cures for cancer-unsubscribeegroups or by

visiting http://www.bobhurt.com/subunsub.mv

>

>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...
Guest guest

Why not continue with the flax, but consider including

primose, canola, black current (and other oils)...

You don't _have_ to eat fish for the EFA's...

bruce goodchild

Boston/Cambridge.

At 07:31 AM 4/26/01 -0600, you wrote:

>I have a quick question or two. I know the current " witch-hunt " is

>going after Mercury in fish and just who is in danger etc., and I know the

>jury is still out. But, knowing first hand about lead poisoning I am still

>keeping my eyes open about this issue also.

>

>Does anyone know if the oil of the fish can be tainted with Mercury or

>does it just harbor in the tissues. I was on the low to no fat notion for

>some time and have been trying to add fat back into my diet. I have

>recently starting supplementing with Flax-seed oil and had considered fish

>oil too. I do eat fish quite often, but I am in the New Mexican desert and

>have to resort to canned tuna and some frozen cod for the most part.

>

>Thank you for your assistance! Have a great day!!

>

>Mark Whitford

>New Mexico, USA

>

>

>

>

>Modify or cancel your subscription here:

>

>mygroups

>

>

>

>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest guest

> Does anyone know if the oil of the fish can be tainted with Mercury or

> does it just harbor in the tissues. I was on the low to no fat notion for

> some time and have been trying to add fat back into my diet. I have

> recently starting supplementing with Flax-seed oil and had considered fish

> oil too. I do eat fish quite often, but I am in the New Mexican desert and

> have to resort to canned tuna and some frozen cod for the most part.

Actually, Mark, the fatty tissue of the fish is where most of the toxins are

stored. Hence, " fatty " fishes like tuna, trout, and salmon

are considered more at risk for unwanted chemicals that their leaner brethren,

like flounder and whitefish. But I do know that consumption

of even so-called lean fish that live in lakes that are high in pollutants

should be monitored.

Finkelstein

Philadelphia, PA

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest guest

From: " Mark W. Whitford "

>

> Does anyone know if the oil of the fish can be tainted with Mercury or

> does it just harbor in the tissues. I was on the low to no fat notion

for

> some time and have been trying to add fat back into my diet. I have

> recently starting supplementing with Flax-seed oil and had considered fish

> oil too.

I do not know if mercury is a problem, but PCB's are a very real problem.

You have to be certain that what you buy has been processed with cold ultra

centrifugation. Most suppliers do not know the answer to that question.

The last time the mercury thing went around the opinion was that if the

proper amount of selenium was present in the fish it was not a problem.

Harvey Maron, M.D.

Steamboat Springs, CO

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest guest

Here are some abstracts from Medline and other databases. In general I

would say it appears that the mercury content depends on where the fish

comes

from. The greater concern for me is the presence of DDE and other agents

such as environmental

estrogens.

Tom

1) Authors Bugdahl V. von Jan E.

Title [Quantitative determination of trace metals in frozen fish, fish oil

and fish meal (author's transl)]. [German]

Source Zeitschrift fur Lebensmittel-Untersuchung und -Forschung.

157(3):133-40, 1975 Mar 11.

Abstract

As a contribution to the discussion on the " Verordnung uber

Umweltkontaminanten " (draft) we examined 73 double samples of the frequent

types of edible fish and 2 samples each of fish oil and fish meal for their

content of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg). Arsenic

was determined photometrically, cadmium and lead by anodic stripping

voltammetry and mercury by flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. We

found the following average contents (ppm): 0.84 As, 0.003 Cd, 0.08 Pb, 0.06

Hg. The limits (ppm) set up in the draft for a German

" Hochstmengenverordnung " (regulation specifying the maximum concentrations

allowed) were by far not reached in the case of Cd, Pb, and Hg with all

samples while they were fulfilled in the case of As by only 18% of the

samples. It seems that the limit for As of 0.5 ppm has been set up too low.

In the average, the following proportion applies for the trace contents

found: Cd:Hg:Pb:As = 1:20:27:280. Correlations between the contents of trace

metals on the one hand and fishing grounds or trawler or sample piece on the

other could not be found.

2) Authors van de Ven WS.

Title Mercury and selenium in cod-liver oil.

Source Clinical Toxicology. 12(5):579-81, 1978.

Abstract

Cod-liver oil preparations were analyzed for mercury and selenium. The

conclusion can be drawn that the intake of mercury and selenium in the

normal use of these preparations will be very low.

3) Authors Koller H. Luley C. Klein B. Baum H. Biesalski HK.

Institution Institut fur Physiologische Chemie II,

Johannes-Gutenberg-Universitat, Mainz.

Title [Contaminating substances in 22 over-the-counter fish oil and cod

liver oil preparations: cholesterol, heavy metals and vitamin A]. [German]

Source Zeitschrift fur Ernahrungswissenschaft. 28(1):76-83, 1989 Mar.

Abstract

Fish oil capsules are increasingly used by self-medicating patients. We

studied 22 commercial fish oil and menhaden oil preparations in respect to

accompanying substances that could be harmful. The substances measured were:

cholesterol as determined by gas liquid chromatography, heavy metals

measured by atomic absorption, and vitamin A as determined by

high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The contents of cholesterol

and heavy metals were in ranges which can be regarded as negligible; the

content of vitamin A in menhaden oils, however, was found in amounts which

warrant that pregnant women do not exceed the dosage as recommended by the

manufacturers.

4) Authors Ebel Jr JG. Eckerlin RH. Maylin GA. Gutenmann WH. Lisk DJ.

Institution New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Ithaca,

NY 14853; United States.

Title Polychlorinated biphenyls and p,p'-DDE in encapsulated fish oil

supplements.

Source Nutrition Reports International. Vol 36(2) (pp 413-417), 1987.

Abstract

Encapsulated marine fish oils are currently sold as dietary supplement

sources of omega-3 fatty acids for potentially reducing the incidence of

cardiovascular disease. Small amounts of the DDT metabolite, p,p'-DDE and/or

polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were found in four major brands of such

encapsulated fish oils. Residues of mercury were not detectable in any of

the products.

Incledon, MS, RD, LD/N, NSCA-CPT, CSCS

Human Performance Specialists, Inc.

619 NW 90th Terrace

Plantation, FL 33324

954-577-0689 office

954-533-0614 fax

954-557-5072 cell

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Thanks for this RIch, a very fine summary - and all written a year

ago! Your description seems to point to the advisability or sensibleness

of a trial of GLA AND EPA AND DHA for those of us who test low in blood

lipid tests. (Assuming that blood tests are indicative of body status of

these substances, and that the EFAs can be absorbed in the intestinal

tract). This is what I will try next.

Can you tell me what the " research list " is that you refer to?

Cheers

n

At 13:32 01/10/02, you wrote:

>Hi, all.

>

>In view of the discussion lately about esssential fatty acids, I want

>to repost a message I sent to the research list a little over a year

>ago. The information in it was current up to that time, but as you

>know, there has been more work reported on EFAs in CFS since then. I

>hope this will shed some light on the question about why the studies

>don't all agree.

>

>Rich

>

>

>Message 6791 of 12160

>

>From: vankonynenburg1@l...

>Date: Wed Aug 22, 2001 11:36 am

>Subject: Omega-3 and -6 Oils--, Judith, Olv, and the group

>

>

>

>

>, Judith, Olv, and the group,

>

>Concerning oils containing omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids and whether

>they are beneficial or not, I want to make a few comments.

>

>First, both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential nutrients

>for the human body, i.e. essential fatty acids (EFAs). We all need

>some of each, whether we are healthy or ill.

>

>Second, most of us who are on usual American diets get plenty of

>omega-6 (linoleic acid), but often not enough omega-3 (alpha

>linolenic

>acid).

>

>Supplementing omega-6 is often done with evening primrose oil, which

>is high in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which can also be produced in

>the body by metabolism of linoleic acid.

>

>Supplementing omega-3 is often done with either flax oil (which is

>high in alpha linolenic acid) or fish oil (which is high in EPA or

>eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA or docosahexaenoic acid, which are

>further along on the metabolic pathway in the body than alpha

>linolenic acid).

>

>Evidence has been presented by Horrobin that in several conditions

>the

>body has low activity of the enzyme delta 6 desaturase, which is

>needed for this metabolic processing of both the basic omega-3 (alpha

>linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic) essential fatty acids.

>Supplementing with fish oil and evening primrose oil provides the

>metabolized forms of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, respectively,

>so

>that this enzyme deficiency can be circumvented.

>

>The EFAs have two main roles in the body: to become part of

>membranes,

>making them more fluid, including red blood cell membranes and tissue

>in the brain, and to serve as substrates for making eicosanoids,

>including the prostaglandins. Omega-6 fatty acids go into making

>Series 1 and 2 prostaglandins, and omega-3 fatty acids (such as EPA)

>go into making series 3 prostaglandins. The series 2 prostaglandins

>are associated with inflammation, and they are the ones blocked by

>aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) as well

>as

>the newer COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex.

>

>The following is a summary of the published work on essential fatty

>acids in CFS and FM:

>

>Behan, Behan and Horrobin (1990) measured the concentrations of fatty

>acids in the phospholipid fraction of the red blood cell membranes of

>63 postviral fatigue syndrome patients and 32 normal controls. They

>found that the patients had significantly reduced levels of total

>EFAs, especially the omega-6 series, and particularly arachidonic

>acid

>and adrenic acid, as compared to the controls.

>

> et al. (1992) reported that in their experience deficiencies

>of

>EFAs in CFS patients are quite common.

>

>Behan et al. (1990) went on to carry out a 3-month, randomized,

>double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of EFA therapy on patients

>diagnosed with postviral fatigue syndrome. There were 39 patients in

>the treatment group and 24 in the placebo group. The treatment

>consisted of a mixture of evening primrose oil and fish oil. The

>daily dosage included 288 mg gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), 136 mg

>eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 88 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and

>2,040 mg linoleic acid. The placebo included 400 mg of linoleic acid

>in liquid paraffin. They found that at one month, 74% of the

>treatment group and 23% of the placebo group assessed themselves a

>improved over the baseline, with the degree of improvement (in terms

>of fatigue, myalgia, dizziness, poor concentration and depression)

>being much greater in the treatment group. At three months the

>corresponding figures were 85% and 17% (p<0.0001), since the placebo

>group had reverted toward their baseline state, while those in the

>treatment group showed continued improvement. The EFA levels in the

>red blood cell membranes of the placebo group rose, but only the

>increases in adrenic acid and oleic acid were significant. The EFA

>levels in the treatment group showed substantially greater increases

>and were corrected to normal by the end of the trial.

>

>Simpson (1992, 1997) suggested that the beneficial effects of EFAs in

>postviral fatigue syndrome are due to improvement in blood rheology.

>He presented evidence of misshapen red blood cells in patients with

>myalgic encephalomyelitis, and recalled earlier work (Simpson, Olds

>and Hunter, 1984) in which it had been shown that the filterability

>of

>the blood of smokers had been improved by taking evening primrose oil.

>

>Gray and ovic (1994) briefly described treatment of a

>case-series in a private general practice setting involving 29 CFS

>patients and using a combination of dietary EFAs, " titrated

>mental/physical activity/exercise, and psycho-therapeutic

>interventions. " Twenty-seven out of the 29 showed significant

>improvement in 3 months or less, when only 2 of the 29 had shown any

>improvement over the previous year. Twenty who had been unfit for

>full time duties for more than 3 years prior to treatment became fit

>for full time duties in an average of 111 days after beginning

>treatment. When they were followed up an average of 16 months later,

>27 out of the 28 were still improved compared to pretreatment, and 20

>of them had experienced more improvement beyond that from the initial

>3 months of treatment.

>

>Warren, McKendrick and Peet (1999) attempted to replicate the Behan

>et

>al. (1990) trial. They studied 50 patients who met the Oxford

>criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) and 25 age- and sex-matched controls

>for the first 25 of the patients. The treatment was the same as in

>the Behan, et al. trial, but the placebo was sunflower oil,

>containing

>linoleic acid, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids,

>and

>a small amount of alpha linolenic acid. It is not clear from the

>wording in their paper what the daily dose of these was in the

>placebo

>group. Before the treatment, they did not see any significant

>differences in the red blood cell fatty acids composition between the

>patients and the controls. They also did not see significant

>differences in post-treatment symptoms between the treatment and

>control groups, nor did they see significant differences in the fatty

>acids composition of the red blood cells post-treatment. This lack of

>significant improvement may not be inconsistent with the Behan et al.

>study, since Warren et al. appear to have sampled a different subset

>of patients, based on the different criteria and the different

>findings in initial red blood cell EFA levels. Warren et al. noted

>that the Oxford criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) which they used do not

>require the patient to have suffered from a demonstrable viral

>illness, which was a criterion in the Behan et al. (1990) study.

>Warren et al. also pointed out that it is not clear whether the

>placebo they used had a therapeutic benefit of its own, since the

>patients on the sunflower oil placebo showed a trend toward greater

>improvement than those in the treatment group.

>

>Ozgocmen, Catal, Ardicoglu and Kamanli (2000) conducted an open-

>label,

>non-controlled, single-blind study of omega-3 EFA treatment in FM.

>They studied twelve female patients who met the ACR criteria (Wolfe

>et

>al., 1990). The treatment consisted of four weeks of 4.5 g of fish

>oil per day. The daily dose included 1600 mg of total omega-3 EFAs,

>of which 810 mg was EPA, and 540 mg was DHA. Nine mg of vitamin E

>were

>also included. They found significant decreases in total cholesterol,

>tender point counts, pain, fatigue and depression, and a significant

>increase in chest expansion.

>

>Taken together, these studies suggest to me that EFA supplementation

>can be beneficial in both CFS and FM , but that it is important to

>ascertain whether or not a deficiency is present before deciding upon

>this treatment, since it did not appear to be helpful when

>deficiencies were known to be absent.

>

>

>Rich

>

>

>

>

>

>This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with each

>other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any treatment

>discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

n,

The list I referred to is cfs_research. It's another group.

Rich

> >Hi, all.

> >

> >In view of the discussion lately about esssential fatty acids, I

want

> >to repost a message I sent to the research list a little over a

year

> >ago. The information in it was current up to that time, but as you

> >know, there has been more work reported on EFAs in CFS since then.

I

> >hope this will shed some light on the question about why the

studies

> >don't all agree.

> >

> >Rich

> >

> >

> >Message 6791 of 12160

> >

> >From: vankonynenburg1@l...

> >Date: Wed Aug 22, 2001 11:36 am

> >Subject: Omega-3 and -6 Oils--, Judith, Olv, and the group

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >, Judith, Olv, and the group,

> >

> >Concerning oils containing omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids and

whether

> >they are beneficial or not, I want to make a few comments.

> >

> >First, both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential nutrients

> >for the human body, i.e. essential fatty acids (EFAs). We all need

> >some of each, whether we are healthy or ill.

> >

> >Second, most of us who are on usual American diets get plenty of

> >omega-6 (linoleic acid), but often not enough omega-3 (alpha

> >linolenic

> >acid).

> >

> >Supplementing omega-6 is often done with evening primrose oil,

which

> >is high in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which can also be produced

in

> >the body by metabolism of linoleic acid.

> >

> >Supplementing omega-3 is often done with either flax oil (which is

> >high in alpha linolenic acid) or fish oil (which is high in EPA or

> >eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA or docosahexaenoic acid, which are

> >further along on the metabolic pathway in the body than alpha

> >linolenic acid).

> >

> >Evidence has been presented by Horrobin that in several conditions

> >the

> >body has low activity of the enzyme delta 6 desaturase, which is

> >needed for this metabolic processing of both the basic omega-3

(alpha

> >linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic) essential fatty acids.

> >Supplementing with fish oil and evening primrose oil provides the

> >metabolized forms of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, respectively,

> >so

> >that this enzyme deficiency can be circumvented.

> >

> >The EFAs have two main roles in the body: to become part of

> >membranes,

> >making them more fluid, including red blood cell membranes and

tissue

> >in the brain, and to serve as substrates for making eicosanoids,

> >including the prostaglandins. Omega-6 fatty acids go into making

> >Series 1 and 2 prostaglandins, and omega-3 fatty acids (such as

EPA)

> >go into making series 3 prostaglandins. The series 2 prostaglandins

> >are associated with inflammation, and they are the ones blocked by

> >aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) as well

> >as

> >the newer COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex.

> >

> >The following is a summary of the published work on essential fatty

> >acids in CFS and FM:

> >

> >Behan, Behan and Horrobin (1990) measured the concentrations of

fatty

> >acids in the phospholipid fraction of the red blood cell membranes

of

> >63 postviral fatigue syndrome patients and 32 normal controls. They

> >found that the patients had significantly reduced levels of total

> >EFAs, especially the omega-6 series, and particularly arachidonic

> >acid

> >and adrenic acid, as compared to the controls.

> >

> > et al. (1992) reported that in their experience deficiencies

> >of

> >EFAs in CFS patients are quite common.

> >

> >Behan et al. (1990) went on to carry out a 3-month, randomized,

> >double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of EFA therapy on patients

> >diagnosed with postviral fatigue syndrome. There were 39 patients

in

> >the treatment group and 24 in the placebo group. The treatment

> >consisted of a mixture of evening primrose oil and fish oil. The

> >daily dosage included 288 mg gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), 136 mg

> >eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 88 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and

> >2,040 mg linoleic acid. The placebo included 400 mg of linoleic

acid

> >in liquid paraffin. They found that at one month, 74% of the

> >treatment group and 23% of the placebo group assessed themselves a

> >improved over the baseline, with the degree of improvement (in

terms

> >of fatigue, myalgia, dizziness, poor concentration and depression)

> >being much greater in the treatment group. At three months the

> >corresponding figures were 85% and 17% (p<0.0001), since the

placebo

> >group had reverted toward their baseline state, while those in the

> >treatment group showed continued improvement. The EFA levels in the

> >red blood cell membranes of the placebo group rose, but only the

> >increases in adrenic acid and oleic acid were significant. The EFA

> >levels in the treatment group showed substantially greater

increases

> >and were corrected to normal by the end of the trial.

> >

> >Simpson (1992, 1997) suggested that the beneficial effects of EFAs

in

> >postviral fatigue syndrome are due to improvement in blood

rheology.

> >He presented evidence of misshapen red blood cells in patients with

> >myalgic encephalomyelitis, and recalled earlier work (Simpson, Olds

> >and Hunter, 1984) in which it had been shown that the filterability

> >of

> >the blood of smokers had been improved by taking evening primrose

oil.

> >

> >Gray and ovic (1994) briefly described treatment of a

> >case-series in a private general practice setting involving 29 CFS

> >patients and using a combination of dietary EFAs, " titrated

> >mental/physical activity/exercise, and psycho-therapeutic

> >interventions. " Twenty-seven out of the 29 showed significant

> >improvement in 3 months or less, when only 2 of the 29 had shown

any

> >improvement over the previous year. Twenty who had been unfit for

> >full time duties for more than 3 years prior to treatment became

fit

> >for full time duties in an average of 111 days after beginning

> >treatment. When they were followed up an average of 16 months

later,

> >27 out of the 28 were still improved compared to pretreatment, and

20

> >of them had experienced more improvement beyond that from the

initial

> >3 months of treatment.

> >

> >Warren, McKendrick and Peet (1999) attempted to replicate the Behan

> >et

> >al. (1990) trial. They studied 50 patients who met the Oxford

> >criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) and 25 age- and sex-matched controls

> >for the first 25 of the patients. The treatment was the same as in

> >the Behan, et al. trial, but the placebo was sunflower oil,

> >containing

> >linoleic acid, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids,

> >and

> >a small amount of alpha linolenic acid. It is not clear from the

> >wording in their paper what the daily dose of these was in the

> >placebo

> >group. Before the treatment, they did not see any significant

> >differences in the red blood cell fatty acids composition between

the

> >patients and the controls. They also did not see significant

> >differences in post-treatment symptoms between the treatment and

> >control groups, nor did they see significant differences in the

fatty

> >acids composition of the red blood cells post-treatment. This lack

of

> >significant improvement may not be inconsistent with the Behan et

al.

> >study, since Warren et al. appear to have sampled a different

subset

> >of patients, based on the different criteria and the different

> >findings in initial red blood cell EFA levels. Warren et al. noted

> >that the Oxford criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) which they used do

not

> >require the patient to have suffered from a demonstrable viral

> >illness, which was a criterion in the Behan et al. (1990) study.

> >Warren et al. also pointed out that it is not clear whether the

> >placebo they used had a therapeutic benefit of its own, since the

> >patients on the sunflower oil placebo showed a trend toward greater

> >improvement than those in the treatment group.

> >

> >Ozgocmen, Catal, Ardicoglu and Kamanli (2000) conducted an open-

> >label,

> >non-controlled, single-blind study of omega-3 EFA treatment in FM.

> >They studied twelve female patients who met the ACR criteria (Wolfe

> >et

> >al., 1990). The treatment consisted of four weeks of 4.5 g of fish

> >oil per day. The daily dose included 1600 mg of total omega-3 EFAs,

> >of which 810 mg was EPA, and 540 mg was DHA. Nine mg of vitamin E

> >were

> >also included. They found significant decreases in total

cholesterol,

> >tender point counts, pain, fatigue and depression, and a

significant

> >increase in chest expansion.

> >

> >Taken together, these studies suggest to me that EFA

supplementation

> >can be beneficial in both CFS and FM , but that it is important to

> >ascertain whether or not a deficiency is present before deciding

upon

> >this treatment, since it did not appear to be helpful when

> >deficiencies were known to be absent.

> >

> >

> >Rich

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences

with each

> >other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any

treatment

> >discussed here, please consult your doctor.

> >

> >

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Rich,

I can't tolerate fish oils or evening primrose oil, though I can

tolerate hemp oil (available here in the UK). Are you able to tell me

if this oil has the right balance of Omega 3, Omega 6 and EPA's?

Many thanks,

PV

> Hi, all.

>

> In view of the discussion lately about esssential fatty acids, I

want

> to repost a message I sent to the research list a little over a

year

> ago. The information in it was current up to that time, but as you

> know, there has been more work reported on EFAs in CFS since then.

I

> hope this will shed some light on the question about why the

studies

> don't all agree.

>

> Rich

>

>

> Message 6791 of 12160

>

> From: vankonynenburg1@l...

> Date: Wed Aug 22, 2001 11:36 am

> Subject: Omega-3 and -6 Oils--, Judith, Olv, and the group

>

>

>

>

> , Judith, Olv, and the group,

>

> Concerning oils containing omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids and

whether

> they are beneficial or not, I want to make a few comments.

>

> First, both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential nutrients

> for the human body, i.e. essential fatty acids (EFAs). We all need

> some of each, whether we are healthy or ill.

>

> Second, most of us who are on usual American diets get plenty of

> omega-6 (linoleic acid), but often not enough omega-3 (alpha

> linolenic

> acid).

>

> Supplementing omega-6 is often done with evening primrose oil,

which

> is high in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which can also be produced

in

> the body by metabolism of linoleic acid.

>

> Supplementing omega-3 is often done with either flax oil (which is

> high in alpha linolenic acid) or fish oil (which is high in EPA or

> eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA or docosahexaenoic acid, which are

> further along on the metabolic pathway in the body than alpha

> linolenic acid).

>

> Evidence has been presented by Horrobin that in several conditions

> the

> body has low activity of the enzyme delta 6 desaturase, which is

> needed for this metabolic processing of both the basic omega-3

(alpha

> linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic) essential fatty acids.

> Supplementing with fish oil and evening primrose oil provides the

> metabolized forms of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, respectively,

> so

> that this enzyme deficiency can be circumvented.

>

> The EFAs have two main roles in the body: to become part of

> membranes,

> making them more fluid, including red blood cell membranes and

tissue

> in the brain, and to serve as substrates for making eicosanoids,

> including the prostaglandins. Omega-6 fatty acids go into making

> Series 1 and 2 prostaglandins, and omega-3 fatty acids (such as

EPA)

> go into making series 3 prostaglandins. The series 2 prostaglandins

> are associated with inflammation, and they are the ones blocked by

> aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) as well

> as

> the newer COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex.

>

> The following is a summary of the published work on essential fatty

> acids in CFS and FM:

>

> Behan, Behan and Horrobin (1990) measured the concentrations of

fatty

> acids in the phospholipid fraction of the red blood cell membranes

of

> 63 postviral fatigue syndrome patients and 32 normal controls. They

> found that the patients had significantly reduced levels of total

> EFAs, especially the omega-6 series, and particularly arachidonic

> acid

> and adrenic acid, as compared to the controls.

>

> et al. (1992) reported that in their experience deficiencies

> of

> EFAs in CFS patients are quite common.

>

> Behan et al. (1990) went on to carry out a 3-month, randomized,

> double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of EFA therapy on patients

> diagnosed with postviral fatigue syndrome. There were 39 patients

in

> the treatment group and 24 in the placebo group. The treatment

> consisted of a mixture of evening primrose oil and fish oil. The

> daily dosage included 288 mg gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), 136 mg

> eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 88 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and

> 2,040 mg linoleic acid. The placebo included 400 mg of linoleic

acid

> in liquid paraffin. They found that at one month, 74% of the

> treatment group and 23% of the placebo group assessed themselves a

> improved over the baseline, with the degree of improvement (in

terms

> of fatigue, myalgia, dizziness, poor concentration and depression)

> being much greater in the treatment group. At three months the

> corresponding figures were 85% and 17% (p<0.0001), since the

placebo

> group had reverted toward their baseline state, while those in the

> treatment group showed continued improvement. The EFA levels in the

> red blood cell membranes of the placebo group rose, but only the

> increases in adrenic acid and oleic acid were significant. The EFA

> levels in the treatment group showed substantially greater

increases

> and were corrected to normal by the end of the trial.

>

> Simpson (1992, 1997) suggested that the beneficial effects of EFAs

in

> postviral fatigue syndrome are due to improvement in blood

rheology.

> He presented evidence of misshapen red blood cells in patients with

> myalgic encephalomyelitis, and recalled earlier work (Simpson, Olds

> and Hunter, 1984) in which it had been shown that the filterability

> of

> the blood of smokers had been improved by taking evening primrose

oil.

>

> Gray and ovic (1994) briefly described treatment of a

> case-series in a private general practice setting involving 29 CFS

> patients and using a combination of dietary EFAs, " titrated

> mental/physical activity/exercise, and psycho-therapeutic

> interventions. " Twenty-seven out of the 29 showed significant

> improvement in 3 months or less, when only 2 of the 29 had shown

any

> improvement over the previous year. Twenty who had been unfit for

> full time duties for more than 3 years prior to treatment became

fit

> for full time duties in an average of 111 days after beginning

> treatment. When they were followed up an average of 16 months

later,

> 27 out of the 28 were still improved compared to pretreatment, and

20

> of them had experienced more improvement beyond that from the

initial

> 3 months of treatment.

>

> Warren, McKendrick and Peet (1999) attempted to replicate the Behan

> et

> al. (1990) trial. They studied 50 patients who met the Oxford

> criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) and 25 age- and sex-matched controls

> for the first 25 of the patients. The treatment was the same as in

> the Behan, et al. trial, but the placebo was sunflower oil,

> containing

> linoleic acid, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids,

> and

> a small amount of alpha linolenic acid. It is not clear from the

> wording in their paper what the daily dose of these was in the

> placebo

> group. Before the treatment, they did not see any significant

> differences in the red blood cell fatty acids composition between

the

> patients and the controls. They also did not see significant

> differences in post-treatment symptoms between the treatment and

> control groups, nor did they see significant differences in the

fatty

> acids composition of the red blood cells post-treatment. This lack

of

> significant improvement may not be inconsistent with the Behan et

al.

> study, since Warren et al. appear to have sampled a different

subset

> of patients, based on the different criteria and the different

> findings in initial red blood cell EFA levels. Warren et al. noted

> that the Oxford criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) which they used do

not

> require the patient to have suffered from a demonstrable viral

> illness, which was a criterion in the Behan et al. (1990) study.

> Warren et al. also pointed out that it is not clear whether the

> placebo they used had a therapeutic benefit of its own, since the

> patients on the sunflower oil placebo showed a trend toward greater

> improvement than those in the treatment group.

>

> Ozgocmen, Catal, Ardicoglu and Kamanli (2000) conducted an open-

> label,

> non-controlled, single-blind study of omega-3 EFA treatment in FM.

> They studied twelve female patients who met the ACR criteria (Wolfe

> et

> al., 1990). The treatment consisted of four weeks of 4.5 g of fish

> oil per day. The daily dose included 1600 mg of total omega-3 EFAs,

> of which 810 mg was EPA, and 540 mg was DHA. Nine mg of vitamin E

> were

> also included. They found significant decreases in total

cholesterol,

> tender point counts, pain, fatigue and depression, and a

significant

> increase in chest expansion.

>

> Taken together, these studies suggest to me that EFA

supplementation

> can be beneficial in both CFS and FM , but that it is important to

> ascertain whether or not a deficiency is present before deciding

upon

> this treatment, since it did not appear to be helpful when

> deficiencies were known to be absent.

>

>

> Rich

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear PV,

According to the book " Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, " by Udo

Erasmus, hemp oil has a nearly ideal ratio of omega-3 to omega-6

fatty acids for long-term use: one to three, in that order. Within

the omega-6, there is 2% gamma linolenic acid. As far as I can tell

from the book, there is no EPA. However, if your body has active

delta-6 desaturase and elongase enzymes, it can produce EPA from the

omega-3 fatty acid in hemp oil. Otherwise, you have to use fish oil

or snake oil (seriously) to get EPA. The most concentrated source of

EPA is Chinese water snake oil. It was analyzed by Dr. Kunin

of San Francisco, who is currently head of the Orthomolecular Health-

Medicine Society.

Rich

> > Hi, all.

> >

> > In view of the discussion lately about esssential fatty acids, I

> want

> > to repost a message I sent to the research list a little over a

> year

> > ago. The information in it was current up to that time, but as

you

> > know, there has been more work reported on EFAs in CFS since

then.

> I

> > hope this will shed some light on the question about why the

> studies

> > don't all agree.

> >

> > Rich

> >

> >

> > Message 6791 of 12160

> >

> > From: vankonynenburg1@l...

> > Date: Wed Aug 22, 2001 11:36 am

> > Subject: Omega-3 and -6 Oils--, Judith, Olv, and the group

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > , Judith, Olv, and the group,

> >

> > Concerning oils containing omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids and

> whether

> > they are beneficial or not, I want to make a few comments.

> >

> > First, both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential

nutrients

> > for the human body, i.e. essential fatty acids (EFAs). We all

need

> > some of each, whether we are healthy or ill.

> >

> > Second, most of us who are on usual American diets get plenty of

> > omega-6 (linoleic acid), but often not enough omega-3 (alpha

> > linolenic

> > acid).

> >

> > Supplementing omega-6 is often done with evening primrose oil,

> which

> > is high in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which can also be produced

> in

> > the body by metabolism of linoleic acid.

> >

> > Supplementing omega-3 is often done with either flax oil (which

is

> > high in alpha linolenic acid) or fish oil (which is high in EPA

or

> > eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA or docosahexaenoic acid, which are

> > further along on the metabolic pathway in the body than alpha

> > linolenic acid).

> >

> > Evidence has been presented by Horrobin that in several

conditions

> > the

> > body has low activity of the enzyme delta 6 desaturase, which is

> > needed for this metabolic processing of both the basic omega-3

> (alpha

> > linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic) essential fatty acids.

> > Supplementing with fish oil and evening primrose oil provides the

> > metabolized forms of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids,

respectively,

> > so

> > that this enzyme deficiency can be circumvented.

> >

> > The EFAs have two main roles in the body: to become part of

> > membranes,

> > making them more fluid, including red blood cell membranes and

> tissue

> > in the brain, and to serve as substrates for making eicosanoids,

> > including the prostaglandins. Omega-6 fatty acids go into making

> > Series 1 and 2 prostaglandins, and omega-3 fatty acids (such as

> EPA)

> > go into making series 3 prostaglandins. The series 2

prostaglandins

> > are associated with inflammation, and they are the ones blocked

by

> > aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) as

well

> > as

> > the newer COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex.

> >

> > The following is a summary of the published work on essential

fatty

> > acids in CFS and FM:

> >

> > Behan, Behan and Horrobin (1990) measured the concentrations of

> fatty

> > acids in the phospholipid fraction of the red blood cell

membranes

> of

> > 63 postviral fatigue syndrome patients and 32 normal controls.

They

> > found that the patients had significantly reduced levels of total

> > EFAs, especially the omega-6 series, and particularly arachidonic

> > acid

> > and adrenic acid, as compared to the controls.

> >

> > et al. (1992) reported that in their experience

deficiencies

> > of

> > EFAs in CFS patients are quite common.

> >

> > Behan et al. (1990) went on to carry out a 3-month, randomized,

> > double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of EFA therapy on patients

> > diagnosed with postviral fatigue syndrome. There were 39 patients

> in

> > the treatment group and 24 in the placebo group. The treatment

> > consisted of a mixture of evening primrose oil and fish oil. The

> > daily dosage included 288 mg gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), 136 mg

> > eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 88 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),

and

> > 2,040 mg linoleic acid. The placebo included 400 mg of linoleic

> acid

> > in liquid paraffin. They found that at one month, 74% of the

> > treatment group and 23% of the placebo group assessed themselves

a

> > improved over the baseline, with the degree of improvement (in

> terms

> > of fatigue, myalgia, dizziness, poor concentration and

depression)

> > being much greater in the treatment group. At three months the

> > corresponding figures were 85% and 17% (p<0.0001), since the

> placebo

> > group had reverted toward their baseline state, while those in

the

> > treatment group showed continued improvement. The EFA levels in

the

> > red blood cell membranes of the placebo group rose, but only the

> > increases in adrenic acid and oleic acid were significant. The

EFA

> > levels in the treatment group showed substantially greater

> increases

> > and were corrected to normal by the end of the trial.

> >

> > Simpson (1992, 1997) suggested that the beneficial effects of

EFAs

> in

> > postviral fatigue syndrome are due to improvement in blood

> rheology.

> > He presented evidence of misshapen red blood cells in patients

with

> > myalgic encephalomyelitis, and recalled earlier work (Simpson,

Olds

> > and Hunter, 1984) in which it had been shown that the

filterability

> > of

> > the blood of smokers had been improved by taking evening primrose

> oil.

> >

> > Gray and ovic (1994) briefly described treatment of a

> > case-series in a private general practice setting involving 29

CFS

> > patients and using a combination of dietary EFAs, " titrated

> > mental/physical activity/exercise, and psycho-therapeutic

> > interventions. " Twenty-seven out of the 29 showed significant

> > improvement in 3 months or less, when only 2 of the 29 had shown

> any

> > improvement over the previous year. Twenty who had been unfit for

> > full time duties for more than 3 years prior to treatment became

> fit

> > for full time duties in an average of 111 days after beginning

> > treatment. When they were followed up an average of 16 months

> later,

> > 27 out of the 28 were still improved compared to pretreatment,

and

> 20

> > of them had experienced more improvement beyond that from the

> initial

> > 3 months of treatment.

> >

> > Warren, McKendrick and Peet (1999) attempted to replicate the

Behan

> > et

> > al. (1990) trial. They studied 50 patients who met the Oxford

> > criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) and 25 age- and sex-matched

controls

> > for the first 25 of the patients. The treatment was the same as

in

> > the Behan, et al. trial, but the placebo was sunflower oil,

> > containing

> > linoleic acid, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty

acids,

> > and

> > a small amount of alpha linolenic acid. It is not clear from the

> > wording in their paper what the daily dose of these was in the

> > placebo

> > group. Before the treatment, they did not see any significant

> > differences in the red blood cell fatty acids composition between

> the

> > patients and the controls. They also did not see significant

> > differences in post-treatment symptoms between the treatment and

> > control groups, nor did they see significant differences in the

> fatty

> > acids composition of the red blood cells post-treatment. This

lack

> of

> > significant improvement may not be inconsistent with the Behan et

> al.

> > study, since Warren et al. appear to have sampled a different

> subset

> > of patients, based on the different criteria and the different

> > findings in initial red blood cell EFA levels. Warren et al.

noted

> > that the Oxford criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) which they used do

> not

> > require the patient to have suffered from a demonstrable viral

> > illness, which was a criterion in the Behan et al. (1990) study.

> > Warren et al. also pointed out that it is not clear whether the

> > placebo they used had a therapeutic benefit of its own, since the

> > patients on the sunflower oil placebo showed a trend toward

greater

> > improvement than those in the treatment group.

> >

> > Ozgocmen, Catal, Ardicoglu and Kamanli (2000) conducted an open-

> > label,

> > non-controlled, single-blind study of omega-3 EFA treatment in

FM.

> > They studied twelve female patients who met the ACR criteria

(Wolfe

> > et

> > al., 1990). The treatment consisted of four weeks of 4.5 g of

fish

> > oil per day. The daily dose included 1600 mg of total omega-3

EFAs,

> > of which 810 mg was EPA, and 540 mg was DHA. Nine mg of vitamin E

> > were

> > also included. They found significant decreases in total

> cholesterol,

> > tender point counts, pain, fatigue and depression, and a

> significant

> > increase in chest expansion.

> >

> > Taken together, these studies suggest to me that EFA

> supplementation

> > can be beneficial in both CFS and FM , but that it is important

to

> > ascertain whether or not a deficiency is present before deciding

> upon

> > this treatment, since it did not appear to be helpful when

> > deficiencies were known to be absent.

> >

> >

> > Rich

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rich,

Just a thank you for the information you've provided. Things are a

bit clearer now.

PV

> > > Hi, all.

> > >

> > > In view of the discussion lately about esssential fatty acids,

I

> > want

> > > to repost a message I sent to the research list a little over a

> > year

> > > ago. The information in it was current up to that time, but as

> you

> > > know, there has been more work reported on EFAs in CFS since

> then.

> > I

> > > hope this will shed some light on the question about why the

> > studies

> > > don't all agree.

> > >

> > > Rich

> > >

> > >

> > > Message 6791 of 12160

> > >

> > > From: vankonynenburg1@l...

> > > Date: Wed Aug 22, 2001 11:36 am

> > > Subject: Omega-3 and -6 Oils--, Judith, Olv, and the group

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > > , Judith, Olv, and the group,

> > >

> > > Concerning oils containing omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids and

> > whether

> > > they are beneficial or not, I want to make a few comments.

> > >

> > > First, both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essential

> nutrients

> > > for the human body, i.e. essential fatty acids (EFAs). We all

> need

> > > some of each, whether we are healthy or ill.

> > >

> > > Second, most of us who are on usual American diets get plenty

of

> > > omega-6 (linoleic acid), but often not enough omega-3 (alpha

> > > linolenic

> > > acid).

> > >

> > > Supplementing omega-6 is often done with evening primrose oil,

> > which

> > > is high in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), which can also be

produced

> > in

> > > the body by metabolism of linoleic acid.

> > >

> > > Supplementing omega-3 is often done with either flax oil (which

> is

> > > high in alpha linolenic acid) or fish oil (which is high in EPA

> or

> > > eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA or docosahexaenoic acid, which

are

> > > further along on the metabolic pathway in the body than alpha

> > > linolenic acid).

> > >

> > > Evidence has been presented by Horrobin that in several

> conditions

> > > the

> > > body has low activity of the enzyme delta 6 desaturase, which

is

> > > needed for this metabolic processing of both the basic omega-3

> > (alpha

> > > linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic) essential fatty acids.

> > > Supplementing with fish oil and evening primrose oil provides

the

> > > metabolized forms of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids,

> respectively,

> > > so

> > > that this enzyme deficiency can be circumvented.

> > >

> > > The EFAs have two main roles in the body: to become part of

> > > membranes,

> > > making them more fluid, including red blood cell membranes and

> > tissue

> > > in the brain, and to serve as substrates for making

eicosanoids,

> > > including the prostaglandins. Omega-6 fatty acids go into

making

> > > Series 1 and 2 prostaglandins, and omega-3 fatty acids (such as

> > EPA)

> > > go into making series 3 prostaglandins. The series 2

> prostaglandins

> > > are associated with inflammation, and they are the ones blocked

> by

> > > aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) as

> well

> > > as

> > > the newer COX-2 inhibitors such as Vioxx and Celebrex.

> > >

> > > The following is a summary of the published work on essential

> fatty

> > > acids in CFS and FM:

> > >

> > > Behan, Behan and Horrobin (1990) measured the concentrations of

> > fatty

> > > acids in the phospholipid fraction of the red blood cell

> membranes

> > of

> > > 63 postviral fatigue syndrome patients and 32 normal controls.

> They

> > > found that the patients had significantly reduced levels of

total

> > > EFAs, especially the omega-6 series, and particularly

arachidonic

> > > acid

> > > and adrenic acid, as compared to the controls.

> > >

> > > et al. (1992) reported that in their experience

> deficiencies

> > > of

> > > EFAs in CFS patients are quite common.

> > >

> > > Behan et al. (1990) went on to carry out a 3-month, randomized,

> > > double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of EFA therapy on

patients

> > > diagnosed with postviral fatigue syndrome. There were 39

patients

> > in

> > > the treatment group and 24 in the placebo group. The treatment

> > > consisted of a mixture of evening primrose oil and fish oil.

The

> > > daily dosage included 288 mg gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), 136 mg

> > > eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), 88 mg docosahexaenoic acid (DHA),

> and

> > > 2,040 mg linoleic acid. The placebo included 400 mg of linoleic

> > acid

> > > in liquid paraffin. They found that at one month, 74% of the

> > > treatment group and 23% of the placebo group assessed

themselves

> a

> > > improved over the baseline, with the degree of improvement (in

> > terms

> > > of fatigue, myalgia, dizziness, poor concentration and

> depression)

> > > being much greater in the treatment group. At three months the

> > > corresponding figures were 85% and 17% (p<0.0001), since the

> > placebo

> > > group had reverted toward their baseline state, while those in

> the

> > > treatment group showed continued improvement. The EFA levels in

> the

> > > red blood cell membranes of the placebo group rose, but only

the

> > > increases in adrenic acid and oleic acid were significant. The

> EFA

> > > levels in the treatment group showed substantially greater

> > increases

> > > and were corrected to normal by the end of the trial.

> > >

> > > Simpson (1992, 1997) suggested that the beneficial effects of

> EFAs

> > in

> > > postviral fatigue syndrome are due to improvement in blood

> > rheology.

> > > He presented evidence of misshapen red blood cells in patients

> with

> > > myalgic encephalomyelitis, and recalled earlier work (Simpson,

> Olds

> > > and Hunter, 1984) in which it had been shown that the

> filterability

> > > of

> > > the blood of smokers had been improved by taking evening

primrose

> > oil.

> > >

> > > Gray and ovic (1994) briefly described treatment of a

> > > case-series in a private general practice setting involving 29

> CFS

> > > patients and using a combination of dietary EFAs, " titrated

> > > mental/physical activity/exercise, and psycho-therapeutic

> > > interventions. " Twenty-seven out of the 29 showed significant

> > > improvement in 3 months or less, when only 2 of the 29 had

shown

> > any

> > > improvement over the previous year. Twenty who had been unfit

for

> > > full time duties for more than 3 years prior to treatment

became

> > fit

> > > for full time duties in an average of 111 days after beginning

> > > treatment. When they were followed up an average of 16 months

> > later,

> > > 27 out of the 28 were still improved compared to pretreatment,

> and

> > 20

> > > of them had experienced more improvement beyond that from the

> > initial

> > > 3 months of treatment.

> > >

> > > Warren, McKendrick and Peet (1999) attempted to replicate the

> Behan

> > > et

> > > al. (1990) trial. They studied 50 patients who met the Oxford

> > > criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) and 25 age- and sex-matched

> controls

> > > for the first 25 of the patients. The treatment was the same as

> in

> > > the Behan, et al. trial, but the placebo was sunflower oil,

> > > containing

> > > linoleic acid, saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty

> acids,

> > > and

> > > a small amount of alpha linolenic acid. It is not clear from

the

> > > wording in their paper what the daily dose of these was in the

> > > placebo

> > > group. Before the treatment, they did not see any significant

> > > differences in the red blood cell fatty acids composition

between

> > the

> > > patients and the controls. They also did not see significant

> > > differences in post-treatment symptoms between the treatment

and

> > > control groups, nor did they see significant differences in the

> > fatty

> > > acids composition of the red blood cells post-treatment. This

> lack

> > of

> > > significant improvement may not be inconsistent with the Behan

et

> > al.

> > > study, since Warren et al. appear to have sampled a different

> > subset

> > > of patients, based on the different criteria and the different

> > > findings in initial red blood cell EFA levels. Warren et al.

> noted

> > > that the Oxford criteria (Sharpe et al., 1991) which they used

do

> > not

> > > require the patient to have suffered from a demonstrable viral

> > > illness, which was a criterion in the Behan et al. (1990)

study.

> > > Warren et al. also pointed out that it is not clear whether the

> > > placebo they used had a therapeutic benefit of its own, since

the

> > > patients on the sunflower oil placebo showed a trend toward

> greater

> > > improvement than those in the treatment group.

> > >

> > > Ozgocmen, Catal, Ardicoglu and Kamanli (2000) conducted an open-

> > > label,

> > > non-controlled, single-blind study of omega-3 EFA treatment in

> FM.

> > > They studied twelve female patients who met the ACR criteria

> (Wolfe

> > > et

> > > al., 1990). The treatment consisted of four weeks of 4.5 g of

> fish

> > > oil per day. The daily dose included 1600 mg of total omega-3

> EFAs,

> > > of which 810 mg was EPA, and 540 mg was DHA. Nine mg of vitamin

E

> > > were

> > > also included. They found significant decreases in total

> > cholesterol,

> > > tender point counts, pain, fatigue and depression, and a

> > significant

> > > increase in chest expansion.

> > >

> > > Taken together, these studies suggest to me that EFA

> > supplementation

> > > can be beneficial in both CFS and FM , but that it is important

> to

> > > ascertain whether or not a deficiency is present before

deciding

> > upon

> > > this treatment, since it did not appear to be helpful when

> > > deficiencies were known to be absent.

> > >

> > >

> > > Rich

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 years later...

Does this include fish oil and fish oil supplements? What about the more

stable oils like olive oil and sesame oil? Thank you!

Nina

Essential Fatty Acids

In a message dated 2/10/2005 5:24:52 PM Eastern Standard Time,

mousepotato_uk@... writes:

I take a good multivit and a high-dose EFA supplement (EPA/DHA)

which is supposed to be good for brain fog.

===

Again, a reminder that Dr Ray Peat, who has studied hormones and dietary

fats since 1968, warns against the use of any polyunsaturated vegetable

oils.

For the last 20 years, he has been interviewing EFA researchers, asking them

for

evidence that there are such things as " essential fatty acids. " All of them

cite the same 1929 research paper, which was inconclusive at best.

Meanwhile,

study after study published in the medical literature show that the health

of test animals improves when you remove polyunsaturated fatty acids

(PUFAs)

from their diet, and that their health deteriorates when you add them. The

easiest way to test the accuracy of his findings is to replace all PUFAs

with

coconut oil and see if your health improves. That means going without EFA

supplements, which he says cause brain fog. Dr Peat says that PUFAs bind

with

cells and interfere with all of the body's chemical reactions, suppressing

the

thyroid, lowering metabolism, and contributing to heart disease, diabetes,

weight gain, depression, skin/hair problems, cancer, arthritis, auto-immune

disorders, and other chronic conditions. He says it takes most adults about

2

years (on a dose of 3-1/2 to 4 tablespoons coconut oil per day) to replace

the

damaged PUFAs that are in the cells. During that time, the body releases

PUFAs

from cells during times of stress, while fasting, and while sleeping. This

release of stored PUFAs triggers a recurrence of symptoms, so he says it's

important to maintain a daily dose of coconut oil and avoid all PUFAs. For

his

papers on this subject and a bibliography of references from the medical

literature, see his website: _www.efn.org/~raypeat_

(http://www.efn.org/~raypeat) .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In a message dated 2/11/2005 8:46:34 AM Eastern Standard Time,

ninalynn@... writes:

Does this include fish oil and fish oil supplements? What about the more

stable oils like olive oil and sesame oil? Thank you!

===

Dear Nina,

Again quoting Dr Peat, the answer is yes, his warning includes fish oils

and fish oil supplements. He does think highly of olive oil, but only if

used in combination with larger quantities of coconut oil. See his articles at

Dr Mercola's website, _www.mercola.com_ (http://www.mercola.com) , and his own

website, _www.efn.org/~raypeat_ (http://www.efn.org/~raypeat) .

CJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This seems bizarre to me. It's been known for a long time that the world's

healthiest peoples eat fish. It's eaten everywhere, always has been.

Nina

Re: Essential Fatty Acids

In a message dated 2/11/2005 8:46:34 AM Eastern Standard Time,

ninalynn@... writes:

Does this include fish oil and fish oil supplements? What about the more

stable oils like olive oil and sesame oil? Thank you!

===

Dear Nina,

Again quoting Dr Peat, the answer is yes, his warning includes fish

oils

and fish oil supplements. He does think highly of olive oil, but only if

used in combination with larger quantities of coconut oil. See his articles

at

Dr Mercola's website, _www.mercola.com_ (http://www.mercola.com) , and his

own

website, _www.efn.org/~raypeat_ (http://www.efn.org/~raypeat) .

CJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

,

are you saying that when used for cooking, they can be taken long-term, but

" taken " as a medicine they should be limited?

I don't eat fish, I basically don't like eating animal products. I take 2

fish-oil capsules per day. Is this a mistake?

Regarding Dr. Peat: I think I see where his thinking isn't right. He is

using reductionism: one component at a time. When these oils exist in

nature, their plant (or animal) contains factors that balance it and

neutralize the harm it can do. For example, corn, safflower and soybean

oil, which have the highest polyunsaturates, also have the highest Vitamin

E - more than 1000 times what VCO has (see

http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/red_palm_oil.htm). Vitamin E protects the

oils from oxidation. Modern processing destroys the Vitamin E, so there you

have it.

That is why these attempts to heal the body with " seleneum " , " licopene " , and

various other extracted components don't work. Studies keep on showing that

they don't work, and in fact can do harm. You gotta eat the whole food.

Extracting oil, juice and so forth is OK in small quantities; extracting

beta carotene, licopene, and the alphabet soups are not such a good idea,

except in extreme cases where drugs are clearly called for as a short-term

solution. Synthesizing them in a laboratory is even worse.

Thank you,

Nina

Re: Essential Fatty Acids

In a message dated 2/11/2005 8:46:34 AM Eastern Standard Time,

ninalynn@... writes:

Does this include fish oil and fish oil supplements? What about the more

stable oils like olive oil and sesame oil? Thank you!

===

Dear Nina,

Again quoting Dr Peat, the answer is yes, his warning includes fish

oils

and fish oil supplements. He does think highly of olive oil, but only if

used in combination with larger quantities of coconut oil. See his articles

at

Dr Mercola's website, _www.mercola.com_ (http://www.mercola.com) , and his

own

website, _www.efn.org/~raypeat_ (http://www.efn.org/~raypeat) .

CJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel Peat is dead wrong about both flaxseed oil and fish oil.

Health comes from a balanced diet, not from selecting one food and

eliminating all other foods from the diet.

Alobar

RE: Essential Fatty Acids

>

> This seems bizarre to me. It's been known for a long time that the

world's

> healthiest peoples eat fish. It's eaten everywhere, always has been.

>

> Nina

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I take licopene daily. I can't eat tomatoes because I am diabetic.

Sure, whole tomatoes have lots more good stuff, but I can't handle the

sugar. I have been taking selenium daily for over 20 years now. It

helps prevent cancer from car exhaust. I wish I could afford to live in

the country away from cars, but so long as I must live in the city, selenium

is my friend.

I am a big fan of supplements. I feel that supplements improve the

quality of my life. Fish oil & flaxseed oil are among my daily

supplements.

Peat says we do not need essential fatty acids. I propose a test.

Let someone who follows Peat stay away from all EFAs for 20 years & I will

take my cod liver oil & flaxseed oil for 20 years. We'll compare health at

the end of 20 years -- assuming the other person is still alive then!

In my opinion, I think it borders on criminal to try to get people

to stop taking EFAs by saying they are non-essential.

Alobar

RE: Essential Fatty Acids

>

> ,

>

> are you saying that when used for cooking, they can be taken long-term,

but

> " taken " as a medicine they should be limited?

>

> I don't eat fish, I basically don't like eating animal products. I take 2

> fish-oil capsules per day. Is this a mistake?

>

> Regarding Dr. Peat: I think I see where his thinking isn't right. He is

> using reductionism: one component at a time. When these oils exist in

> nature, their plant (or animal) contains factors that balance it and

> neutralize the harm it can do. For example, corn, safflower and soybean

> oil, which have the highest polyunsaturates, also have the highest Vitamin

> E - more than 1000 times what VCO has (see

> http://www.tropicaltraditions.com/red_palm_oil.htm). Vitamin E protects

the

> oils from oxidation. Modern processing destroys the Vitamin E, so there

you

> have it.

>

> That is why these attempts to heal the body with " seleneum " , " licopene " ,

and

> various other extracted components don't work. Studies keep on showing

that

> they don't work, and in fact can do harm. You gotta eat the whole food.

> Extracting oil, juice and so forth is OK in small quantities; extracting

> beta carotene, licopene, and the alphabet soups are not such a good idea,

> except in extreme cases where drugs are clearly called for as a short-term

> solution. Synthesizing them in a laboratory is even worse.

>

> Thank you,

> Nina

>

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...