Omega-3 Fish Oil vs Flaxseed Oil

http://www.homevet.com/osc/product_info.php?cPath=7&products_id=16

I use a fish oil (not salmon oil) supplement that my homeopath/vet advised me to use. It's reasonably priced, lots of info in the link.

 

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"Wherever flax seed becomes a regular food item among the people, there will be better health."

... Mahatma Gandhi


Flax seed is one-third oil, the remainder consisting of fiber, protein and mucilage. Flax oil, when extracted with care, is one of the greatest sources of essential fatty acids. The protein in flax seeds is easily digested and contains all the amino acids needed for building a strong body. The fiber in flax acts as a broom sweeping the colon of toxic material, metabolic waste and dried mucus. Flax fiber is an excellent food for friendly bacteria in the intestine which keeps disease-causing organisms in check.


Twelve percent of flax seeds is mucilage which makes it a gentle, non-irritating, natural laxative. Flax mucilage is perfect for those who have a sensitive stomach, acting as a buffer for excess stomach acids, soothing ulcers or irritable bowel disorders. Flax expands 20 times in volume and should be taken with a generous amount of water. Remeber each person should drink 8 - 8 oz. glasses of pure or filtered or microwater each day.

Flax seed slowly releases its mucilage through the fiber wall. After half an hour of soaking the little seeds, a slippery mucilage forms. The flax seeds act as a tiny mucilage release capsule. This release continues, changing the water to a slippery consistency similar to a light oil. Flax seed is God’s gift for a toxic colon! It lubricates and absorbs toxins perfectly.

Flax seed contains lignans that have anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-cancer properties. Flax seeds have the richest source of lignans, 100 times more than the next best source, wheat bran. Flax seed also contains lecithin which emulsifies fat and cholesterol. These little seeds improve digestion, help stabilize blood glucose levels, fight tumor formation and enhance cardiovascular health.

It is true Americans should not consume more than 20-30% of daily calories as fats, a lack of the dietary essential fatty acids has been suggested to facilitate degenerative disease. Surveys indicate that at least 80% of our population is deficient in the essential fatty acids, this may present a serious health threat. Unfortunately, mass commercial refinement of fats and oils products and foods containing them has effectively eliminated the essential fatty acids from our food chain, contributing to our modern day deficiency.

Flax seed oil is considered by many to be the answer to this health dilemma. Oil extracted from flax seed is unique because it contains both essential fatty acids: alpha-linolenic, an omega-3 fatty acid, and linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid, in appreciable amounts. Flax seed oil is the world's richest source of omega-3 fatty acids at a whopping 57% (over two times the amount of omega-3 fatty acids as fish oils). Omega-3 fatty acids have been extensively studied for their beneficial effects toward:

Arthritis
Cancer
High cholesterol levels
Heart pain - Angina
High blood pressure
Multiple sclerosis
Psoriasis & Eczema
Stroke & heart attack
The high content of omega-3 fatty acids in flax seed oil is but one of its positive attributes. The essential fatty acids combined here have proven to impart a regulatory function on the body's fatty acid metabolism. Fat metabolism is as important, if not more critical, than our body's metabolism of proteins and carbohydrates as evidenced by the drastic rise in fat related degenerative diseases, such as vascular disease and strokes. Dietary essential fatty acids common to flax seed oil are ultimately converted to hormone-like substances known as prostaglandins, and are important for the regulation of a host of bodily functions including:

Inflammation, pain, and swelling
Pressure in the eye, joints or blood vessels
Secretions from mucus membranes and their viscosity
Smooth muscle & autonomic reflexes, gastrointestinal, arterial, ear, heart
Water retention
Blood clotting ability
Allergic response
Rheumatoid arthritis
Nerve transmission
Steroid production & hormone synthesis<O:p</O:p


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Pass the Fat! Or Why Essential Fatty Acids are Vital to Pitbull Health


The best source of essential fatty acids come from cold water fish. (Omega 3 fatty acids) for dogs.

Omega 3 fatty acids are the most important fatty acids in the diet. Including humans.

However, our bodies and our dogs bodies do not produce these acids on their own therefore we must put them in our system.
Omega 3 Fatty are necessary for proper formation of cell membranes.

Omega 3 Fatty acids also help the cardiovascular system function and help coat and skin function as well.

These fatty acids also line the digestive tract to aid in digestion.

Salmon oil and Cod oil are the best for dogs because their dogs don't convert plant oils containing the fatty acids as well. (Things like flax seed oil etc...)
Essential Fatty Acids are Not all the Same

As I mentioned above there are two primary sources for Omega 3 fatty acids. Plants and Fish.

Some products contain a mixture of both. Again, as I mentioned above the best source for animals is the Salmon or Cod oils because animals have a hard time converting the plant derived oils.

You can find fish oils in containers that let you put it on your dogs food or you can find it in a pill form.

Essential Fatty Acids should be a part of the diet for dogs

Improved skin and coat. Improved digestion, and a host of other improvements that come from Omega 3 fatty acids.

Especially if your dog has a dry coat or itchy coat.

You can pick up Salmon and/or Cod oil online or off.

Do a search on Google and you'll find several sources. Be aware that not all sources are equal. It should be 100% PURE oil. <O:p</O:p

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Omega 3 Fatty Acids
The essential fatty acids most often talked about are Omega 6 and Omega 3. The Omega 6 fatty acids are found in most foods, including vegetables, grains and meats. Omega 3 fatty acids are much more difficult to find. They are found in cold-water fish and marine animals. Keeping a good balance of these two essential fatty acids is important. Since Omega 6 fatty acids are plentiful in most foods, it is only necessary to supplement with Omega 3 fatty acids.

Omega 3 fatty acids are important for the central nervous system, hormone regulation, and the development of the brain and eyes in neonates. They also help fight inflammation. Additionally, it is renal protective; helps support the liver and the heart. More recent studies also show it is one nutrient cancer cannot use for energy and helps fight weight loss in this disease.
Good sources include salmon and fish body oils. Daily recommended amounts are 1,000 mg per 20-30 lbs in healthy dogs.
Generally, between the Bertes Daily Blend, salmon oil, or fish oil capsules, the bases are covered for what might be missing from the daily diet!

 

Fish Oil vs Flax Seed Oil
The fish oil vs flax seed oil debate continues among health supplement providers. Some say that flax oil is better. Others say a fish oil dietary supplement is best. No one denies that they both contain omega-3 fatty acids which are essential to many systems, organs and tissues of the human body. The flax oil vs fish oil conflict concerns which omega-3 is best and why.
Most current scientific study involves the benefits of certain omega-3 fatty acids to heart and brain health. The omega-3s used in these studies are DHA and EPA. These are found in a high quality fish oil dietary supplement. Flax oil contains an omega-3 called ALA and other fatty acids. The benefits of flax oil and fish oil are somewhat different and each can be beneficial, but for different reasons.
Flax oil vs fish oil
However, for heart health, a fish oil dietary supplement is recommended by most medical experts and naturopathic practitioners. ALA needs to be converted to DHA and EPA in the body....and this conversion does not always take place, especially for people who are in less than optimal health. This would include many elderly folks. On the other hand, if you're in good health flax seed ALA may be converted by the body to DHA and EPA.
Thus, when the heart is concerned in the flax oil vs fish oil debate, fish oil wins in our opinion since you can get the crucial DHA and EPA directly through a quality fish oil. For brain health and symptoms like depression, a fish oil dietary supplement is recommended for much the same reasons.
The brain needs large amounts of DHA, but if the body needs the ALA for some other reason, it may not ever be converted to DHA.
So, when the brain is discussed in the fish oil vs flax seed oil debate, fish oil wins again.
Having said all of this, some people prefer flax oil over fish oil for various reasons. For example, strict vegetarians must supplement their diet with some type of omega-3, but will not take a fish oil dietary supplement.

 

Is fish oil “better” than flax seed oil?

In one respect, fish oil is definitely “better” than flax seed oil. Fish oil contains two omega-3s that are especially important: EPA and DHA. The body uses EPA to create many hormone-like substances that reduce inflammation and other “excited” states in the body, such as raised blood pressure. Also, eight percent of the brain is composed of EPA and DHA, and one wants to be sure this 8% stays healthy!
Taking fish oil can guarantee that the body gets enough of these two vital omega-3s.
However, Dr. Udo Erasmus, author of Fats that Heal, Fats that Kill, claims that the process manufacturers use to produce most vegetable cooking oils—a process often used to remove contaminants from fish oils as well—is itself destructive to the quality of the oil. According to Erasmus, oils that have undergone this refining, bleaching and deodorizing process “contain 0.5 to 1.0% damaged, highly toxic molecules.” On the other hand, Erasmus manufactures and sells a competing product, so such statements may be convenient marketing claims rather than independently verified scientific fact.
If you want to avoid oils that have been exposed to this refining, bleaching, and deodorizing process, look for either cold-pressed or unrefined on a product’s label. Both terms mean that a mechanical process was used to extract the oil rather than chemicals.

Benefits of flax oil

Flax seed oil contains an omega-3 called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is one of two fatty acids that the body needs and cannot make for itself. Several other sources of ALA do exist, most notably walnuts and hemp seed. Omega-3s are needed by every cell in the body. Among other things, an ample supply helps ensure that cell membranes stay flexible so that cells can get nutrients easily.
The body can use ALA to make all the other omega-3 fatty acids that it needs, including both EPA and DHA. Thus, if you get enough ALA, you don’t need to eat any other sources of omega-3s.
Another advantage of getting one’s omega-3s from the ALA in flax oil is that the body does not create more EPA and DHA than it needs. Therefore, ingesting too much EPA/DHA is not an issue.
The human body uses a variety of omega-3s, not just EPA and DHA. To make the full range of these omega-3s, the body needs ALA from flax oil (or walnuts or other sources) in addition to EPA and DHA. Thus, one needs to consume some ALA even if fish and/or fish oil are plentiful in one’s diet.

Is flax oil “better” than fish oil?

Since one needs ALA anyway, and the body can make all the other omega-3s it needs from ALA, does that mean flax seed oil is a better source than fish oil for one’s omega-3s? Not necessarily.
The body uses various enzymes to convert ALA to other omega-3s, and the process is not very efficient, especially as one gets older. Estimates of the rate of conversion range from 5% to 25%. In order to make sufficient amounts of EPA and DHA, one needs to consume 5 or 6 times more ALA than if one relies on fish oil alone. Also, women convert ALA to the other omega-3s more efficiently than men, largely so they can meet the nutritional demands of their infants during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Another consideration is that ALA competes metabolically with the other essential fatty acid that the body cannot make for itself. Linoleic acid (LA) plays the same role for omega-6 fatty acids that ALA does for omega-3s: The body uses LA to make all the other omega-6s that it needs. (To understand the difference between an omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acid, see our article Chemical and Physical Structure of Fatty Acids.)
By competes, we mean that when LA is oversupplied in the diet, the body makes more of the LA-derived fatty acids than it needs, and not enough of the ALA-derived ones. The “LA side” of these substances help us react to dangers and stress and are therefore crucial to our health and survival, but when they are oversupplied, the result is chronic high blood pressure, cellular inflammation, and other conditions leading to today’s panoply of degenerative diseases.
Unfortunately, the recent emphasis on vegetable oils has led to a 10:1 ratio between LA and ALA in the American diet. While there is no consensus yet on what an optimal ratio would be, estimates range from 4:1 to 2:1. Consuming smaller amounts of the omega-6 LA helps the body maintain a healthy balance between the “stimulating” LA substances and the “calming” ALA substances. One excellent method of improving this ratio is switching to monounsaturated oils like olive oil. While canola oil does contain some ALA, it also contains a higher level of LA, so is not a recommended method of improving one’s LA-to-ALA ratio.