Whats the difference between fish oil Omega 3 and flax seed oil omega 3?
October 28, 2010 Categories: Organic Gardening
Question by All Mine!!: Whats the difference between fish oil Omega 3 and flax seed oil omega 3?
What is DHA and EPA and why is it no displayed on vegetable sources?
Best answer:
Answer by old know all
DHA and EPA are active constituents of fish oil that appear to have a beneficial effect on serum cholesterol and blood platelet size. Flax seed oil doesn’t have these constituents or these effects. However, if you’re taking it to assist arthritis, it seems to be just as good. You’ll note that I’m being deliberately vague because the clinical evidence is mixed.
What do you think? Answer below!
DHA and EPA are the essential fats found in the omega 3 from oily fish. You wont find them in vegetable sources as they contain the omega 3 fat ALA.
From a health point of view the oils from oily fish have been proven to be beneficial in preventing heart disease as well as the DHA having been proven to protect against chronic inflammation, and also the DHA fat is in your brain as well and lack of it can lead to conditions such as depression.
The ALA fat can actually turn into DHA and EPA in the body but the ratio is very small, so you would have to eat a lot of walnuts or flax seeds to have any benefits.
I have found an article that compares flax seed against fish oil which explains things in more detail