Flaxseed Oil or Fish Oil

[Zen]

A headline on Slate.Com caught my eye. It wasFlaxseed or Steroids?Why did Marion Jones and Barry Bonds think they were taking flaxseed oil? (http://www.slate.com/id/2175474/nav/ais/)

Even though I personally find it hard to believe that either of these athletes ever thought they were taking flaxseed oil the reasoning behind it is sound and potentially useful. Sounds like it could help after a crash or even a cold.

[Tuckervill]

There's a big push by folks like Dr. Oz and lots of others to make sure you get enough Omega-3s in the diet. I buy Eggland's Best eggs with omega-3s and I take flaxseed oil capsules, because I don't like fish, either.

You can use actual flaxseed (sprinkle on your cereal or in soups, etc.) but it goes bad really quickly and I wouldn't be able to find it in my town regularly enough.

I'm a believer in omega-3s. I could understand why an athlete might trust their coach and take what is given. I think now, though, any athlete who just takes what is given is just being stupid. Go buy your own flaxseed oil and supplements for heaven's sake!

Karen

[Thorn]

If you use flax seed, you must grind it first. The whole seeds just slip through the system. But, both flax seed oil and ground flax go bad quickly. Shelf life is quoted as just a couple months, at most, with a steady degrade. Keep them all in the fridge. I'm a believer. My morning yogurt gets ground flax seed along with walnuts, dried cherries or blueberries and oats. Since that switch, I feel much better. Of course, it replaced a donut so do I really know it is that good for me? :rolleyes:

As for athletes not knowing. Maybe I'm naive, but I can believe it. Suppose your full-time job was working out. How tired would you be during hard periods? Would you take the time to research, buy your own? Or would you trust your coach to do the shopping and just take what they gave you? Coaches become family. You are trusting them to train you into a fantastic athlete, why would you draw the line on "vitamins and supplements"?

OK, with the news of the last couple of years, everyone should be paranoid, but, still, isn't it human nature to trust?

[Resi]

Krill oil is also very good. Check out www.mercola.com

[Zen]

If you use flax seed, you must grind it first. The whole seeds just slip through the system. But, both flax seed oil and ground flax go bad quickly. Shelf life is quoted as just a couple months, at most, with a steady degrade. Keep them all in the fridge. I'm a believer. My morning yogurt gets ground flax seed along with walnuts, dried cherries or blueberries and oats. Since that switch, I feel much better. Of course, it replaced a donut so do I really know it is that good for me? :rolleyes:

As for athletes not knowing. Maybe I'm naive, but I can believe it. Suppose your full-time job was working out. How tired would you be during hard periods? Would you take the time to research, buy your own? Or would you trust your coach to do the shopping and just take what they gave you? Coaches become family. You are trusting them to train you into a fantastic athlete, why would you draw the line on "vitamins and supplements"?

OK, with the news of the last couple of years, everyone should be paranoid, but, still, isn't it human nature to trust?

It depends on the human. It depends on education. Given the culture and atmosphere of elite level sports it would take someone who just fell of the turnip truck not to suspect something when their muscles suddenly become huge and performance not just improves but leaps to incredible levels.

The more important point of my post thats getting lost in this tangent are the properties of medium chain triglycerides as anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories. I knew these things were good but I didn't know they had that property. It's just the headline that caught my eye.

[redrhodie]

I'm getting sake maki for lunch. Omega 3s!

[OakLeaf]

the properties of medium chain triglycerides as anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatories. I knew these things were good but I didn't know they had that property.

My sister the acupuncture doctor prescribed me Udo's Choice omega 3/6/9 blend for tendinitis, and it really helped. My neighbor takes flaxseed oil for arthritis in her hands with good results, too. Udo's Choice is vegetarian, tastes pretty good really, and every store I know that stocks it keeps it in the fridge, which says to me that it comes in on a reefer truck.

Plus, if I put some on my breakfast cereal, it gives me some healthy fats first thing in the morning besides my usual carb attack. In cold weather I'll often mix PB into hot cereal, but in summer it's cold cereal, soymilk and fresh fruit, which really spikes my blood sugar if I don't add the oil supplement.

[kelownagirl]

So how much omega 3 do you take? I get lost standing in front of the vast array that is available out there.

My current softgels say:

fish oil concentrate
(anchovy, sardine) 1065 mg
omega 3 fatty acid 630mg
EPA 400 mg
DHA 200 mg

I don't really know what all that means or how much to take. I take one a day but it says to take 3 a day...

[salsabike]

My very smart doc told me to take 3 a day.

[kelownagirl]

Are they a similar dosage? It seems like they all say to take 3 a day regardless of the dosage...

Do you take them 3X a day or 3 at one time?

[KnottedYet]

My 1-scoop-a-day of ground whole flax (I dunno, maybe two tbs?) has 2700 mg of Omega 3 and 800 mg of Omega 6.

Tastes pretty good in my quinoa/honey/almonds with soy milk.

Sounds like it might be in the right neighborhood for the recommendations from Salsa's doc.

[firenze11]

My bottle says to take 2 to 4 capsules per day, I try to take one before every meal but usually get 2 if I'm lucky. Talk about horse pills!!!

Anyway, my bottle says each softgel contains:

Triple fish oil (from anchovy, sardines, and mackerel) - 600 mg (18%EPA/12%DHA)
Borage oil - 300 mg
Macadamia nut oil - 200 mg

I tried to go with the flax softgels at first and wanted them to work but they had a funky cloudy look to them quickly so I switched to these. I've taken them for a little over 2 months and they seemed to have completely taken my chronic daily headaches away and really reduced my migraines. I haven't even been back to my doc to discuss a new preventative yet. Wheee.

Oh and I really recommend the enteric-coated ones, fish burps are disgusting.

[roadie gal]

I tried to find dosage recommendations for Omega-3 and 6. There was no dose recommended on either www.nutrition.gov (a great web site for nutrition info) or www.fda.gov.

I did find the article that I've excerpted below on Medscape:

"Dietary recommendations for n-3 fatty acid supplementation are still a matter of debate. Recommendations may vary depending on desired disease prevention: daily ranges for EPA and DHA begin at 180 mg (for dementia prevention) to 500 mg (decrease in heart disease) to 1000 mg (decrease in mental illness). Marine sources contain EPA and DHA and do not require elongation and desaturation to be effective LC n-3 fatty acids. More research is needed to tease out the conditions in which n-3 fatty acids are beneficial and then to determine the amount and source of n-3 fatty acids needed. Studies are also needed to test the efficacy of increased LNA in diets where there is a coincident reduction in the n6/n3 ratio. At this time, some studies suggest, that LNA sources are not likely to provide clinical benefit."
Medscape General Medicine7(4):18, 2005

If you want to know great detail about omega-3s there's this article from the National Institute of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements:
http://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/omega_3_fatty_acids.aspx

I love looking this stuff up. :)

[Over50Newbie]

I'm confused! :(

People are talking about fish oil and flaxseed oil as the same thing.

Are they the same?

My doctor has me take flaxseed oil caplets every night to help prevent menopausal night sweats. They really seem to work.

But I have never taken fish oil caplets.

So what are the differences and what are the benefits of each one?

Thanks,

Lynette

[michelem]

Lynette,

Check this webpage out:

http://afterthediet.com/omega3.htm

"Omega-3 fatty acids are a subcategory of polyunsaturated fatty acids that have been found to have unique and important health benefits. The three main types of omega-3s important to humans are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentanoic acid (EPA), and docosahexanoic acid (DHA). Each of these omega-3's has unique and important functions that are not interchangeable. For example, flax, a source of ALA, has important health benefits. However, it does not substitute for EPA or DHA. There is some conversion of flax to EPA and DHA, but it is not an efficient conversion and it is generally agreed upon by omega-3 specialists that all three of these fatty acids must be consumed in order to gain the most benefit."

[KnottedYet]

So salmon broiled with a flax-seed crust would be an elegant Omega 3 source... or salmon served with a flax and brown rice pilaf... oooh, now I gotta do some cooking! :D

[Over50Newbie]

Ahh - I see now.

Thanks for the article - excellent information!

Maybe I will just have to add either fish oil or fish powder to my other vitamins and supplements that I take daily...

Lynette

[blueskies]

I eat ground flax seed on my breakfast oatmeal every morning & take one or two fish oil capsules every day. I can feel the difference.

[BikeDutchess]

I like these Omega 3 capsules from www.n3inc.com:
ResQ 1250 Capsules (http://ebpm-prod1.ebpmsolutions.com:8000/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10023&prod=F94dL4n5ISIpsbSKgsb28JGf:S&prod_pses=prod%3DF94dL4n5ISIpsbSKgsb28JGf%253AS%7E). They are not cheap, but have absolutely no fish taste (I don't like those fish burps either) and they have high concentrations of EPA and DHA, at least compared to some of the other OTC stuff I checked out around town. You can also get it as a liquid if you're not into taking big pills.

I'll have to try adding flaxseed to my oat bran each morning.

[BikeDutchess]

Question about this flax seed thing: do you have to eat it raw or is it ok to cook it along with my oat bran?

[kelownagirl]

I eat ground flax seed on my breakfast oatmeal every morning & take one or two fish oil capsules every day. I can feel the difference.


In what way do you feel different? I've been taking 3 a day for a few weeks now.

[KnottedYet]

Question about this flax seed thing: do you have to eat it raw or is it ok to cook it along with my oat bran?

I don't know. I eat it raw on some things, and cooked in others (like pancakes, MMMMMMmmmMMMM good in pancakes!)

[farrellcollie]

I am also confused about whether cooking flaxseed makes it lose its good nutrients/properties/stuff. I usually just put it on oatmeal (I also put a spoonful on the dogs' dinners - it helps their coats in the winter) but I would love to cook with it (waffles, muffins etc) if it cooking doesn't destroy the nutrients.

[Thorn]

Never questioned, but I don't think the cooking is harmful. The Canadian Flax Board recommends the use of ground flax seed as an egg substitute for baking and Natural Ovens of Manitowoc has pushed a flax seed bread for years.

Of course, I, like you, just sprinkle it on the morning oatmeal. I guess I just never gave it thought. It tastes good.

[Over50Newbie]

Okay, so I am now taking fish oil and flaxseed oil tablets.

Is this overkill?

Now that I am taking fish oil, is there still a reason to take my flaxseed oil?

I first started taking flaxseed oil to help with menopausal night sweats. Does fish oil do the same thing?

Can anyone help me out?

Thanks,

Lynette

[BikeDutchess]

If I understand Michelem's post (#15) correctly, you do need both fish oil and flax seed because they have different types of omega 3's. I now take both also.