Flaxseed Oil or Fish Oil

[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_Informa...tty_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!

[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.