Considering the benefits of fish oil vs flax seed oil?
It's no contest.
Ala
Fish oil wins.
A little explanation. Flax seed and its oil are good foods, much better for your health than the soybean oil that is so common in North American prepared foods, salad dressings and cooking oils.
But it's definitely not a good replacement for fish oil. The omega-3 fatty acid in flax oil is alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA. It's often claimed that ALA from flax oil is converted in the human body to the critical long-chain fatty acids DHA and EPA, the most important fatty acids in fish oil.
The problem is, it doesn't work.
The truth: not enough ALA gets converted into DHA and EPA to do us any good. Our bodies just can't do this efficiently. A recent scientific publication says this in a nutshell:
"Alpha-linolenic acid, (ALA) does not convert to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at levels that confer any physiological benefit," according to a summary of omega-3 research conducted by the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids. ALA converted to DHA at negligible levels, said J. Thomas Brenna, PhD, professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University, chair of the committee that drafted the statement.
Dr. Brenna said the "pre-formed" DHA and EPA found in fish oils is much more effective in raising levels of these essential oils in the body.
DHA and EPA have been shown in thousands of clinical studies to have healthful effects on brain function (DHA is the most important fat in the brain, accounting for nearly a third of its weight). Fish oils have also proved beneficial for heart health, arthritis, Crohn's disease and many other chronic diseases with underlying inflammation.
More details on the benefits of fish oil vs flax seed oil, with specific recommendations, are available on my website.
Fish Oil Vs Flax Seed Oil - Why There's No Comparison! Ala
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