Is Fish oil better than Flax Oil ?

Is Fish oil better than Flax Oil ?

Our diets often lack the highly unsaturated fatty acids and contain an excess of man made oils known as trans fats (or partially hydrogenated oils). We are referring to the cooking oils sold in grocery stores. Most extract the oil from corn, sunflowers, plants, etc by using extreme heat and chemicals. They are no longer alive but dead oils that cause death to the user. They also are very tough (dead) oils in that they have a 20-year shelf life. These oils get into our cell membranes and destroy the electrical charge. Without the charge, our cells start to suffocate due to a lack of oxygen.

  1. You only get the increased energy effects of better oxygenation and reduced allergies from membrane integrity from the ALA in flax-seed oil – not from fish oils.
  2. You only get the healthier skin benefits from the ALA in flax-seed oil – not from fish oils.
  3. Your body needs to have roughly equal amounts of Omega-3 and Omega-6, so taking a gram or two of fish oil in capsules is going to do little to change this.
  4. Conversion rates are higher than initial studies suggested and the latest research is suggesting that the body is capable of making the amount of secondary Omega-3s (EPA & DHA) it needs from the primary Omega-3 (ALA) delivered to the site where the body needs it.

The suggested serving size for flax seed oil is 15 ml per day, which provides you with 8600 mg of ALA, which your body could potentially convert to 688 to 1720 mg per day of EPA and 43 to 774 mg of DHA.

The National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and New Zealand (NHMRC) suggest that we need an absolute minimum (AI – Adequate Intake) of 90 mg/day for Women (145 mg/day if breast feeding) and 160 mg/day for Men.  These AI values are only to protect against Omega-3 deficiency, whereas the higher SDT (Suggested Dietary Target) values are needed for reducing chronic disease risk and to achieve “wellness”.

What you NEED and what you COULD make

 

EPA + DHA mg/day

 

Women

Men

Your Body NEEDs

Adult

Pregnant

Lactating

Adult

Minimum (AI)

90

115

145

160

For Wellness (SDT)

430

610

 

Your Body COULD Make

 

15 ml flax seed

731 – 2494

3 x 1000 mg flax oil capsules

155 – 530

So calculating the potential conversion of ALA to EPA + DHA shows that our suggested serving size of capsules will likely be covering your body’s minimum requirements for EPA and DHA.  If you are using the liquid oil, your body can make all the EPA and DHA it requires and still have plenty of ALA left to carry out the functions listed in 1. – 3. above.

After taking Flax oil for some time you will reach a point when you get too much Omega-3, because the balance has tipped the other way i.e. an Omega-6/Omega-3 of less than 1. When this happens you will see the return of one of the symptoms of EFA imbalance

Symptoms of in-balance are:

  • Excessive thirst
  • Excessive ear wax
  • Dandruff
  • Frequent urination
  • Irritability
  • Attention deficit
  • Soft, brittle or easily frayed nails
  • Allergies
  • Lowered immunity
  • Fatigue
  • Hyperactivity
  • Dry eyes
  • Poor wound healing
  • Frequent infections
  • Learning and memory problems
  • Patches of pale skin on cheeks
  • Cracked skin on heels or fingertips
  • Craving for rich fatty foods

Once you get to this point, then you need to start taking an oil blend that has equal amounts of Omega3 and Omega-6 to maintain good health e.g. Udo’s Choice, Any symptoms of an imbalance will quickly disappear.

I’d like to find out your results from flax and/or fish oil.  Feel free to send me a consultation request.