Greg-dosage EFAs

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Greg. If I got you right, we should get OMEGA-6 from food (we are nut

and seed eaters), and

take cod-liver oil that will not interfere in the metabolism of GLA but will

provide EPA and DHA.

 

A question regarding mercury and other toxins in fish, fish oil and cod-liver

oil. Can you suggest

brandnames that filter out toxins. I understand there is some method of

filtering on a molecular

level, do not know what it is, or which products to prefer.

 

Thanks so much! Oh -- how much cod-liver oil should a pregnant woman take, or a

breastfeeding woman?

Not that you are a doctor (or are you?) and I don't suppose that there are

official recommendations

about this...

but do you have any thoughts on the matter?

 

=) Hilary

Message: 19

Fri, 16 Nov 2001 11:21:41 +1030

" Greg Watson " <gowatson

Re: Omega-3 dosage

 

-

" Hilary Jacobson " <hjacobson

 

Thursday, November 15, 2001 9:24 PM

Omega-3 dosage

 

 

> Hi, All, I have the following from Dr. Galland's " superimmunity for kids " .

Does this sound right?

>

> Would someone with normal metabolism derive enough DHA from these?

>

> Dosage of Omega-3 supplements: 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil per day. Or 1

teaspoon of cod-liver oil

> for 1 tablespoon of flaxseed oil, or 2 tabespoons of walnut oil for 1

tablespoon of flaxseed oil.

 

Hi Hilary,

 

Omega 3 LNA (flax & walnut oil) converts into EPA and DHA at about 2 - 3%. So

to get 0.6 g of the

combo, you would need

to consume ~ 22 g of Omega 6 LNA. That is a LOT of Omega 3 LNA and is not the

pathway I would

choose.

 

Using Omega 3 LNA WILL get you some EPA & DHA but it is not a efficient way to

do it and it can mess

up Omega 6 LA

conversion into GLA.

 

Cod Liver oil has NO Omega 3 LNA and like fish oil is rich in EPA & DHA. If you

don't like fish or

fish oil capsules I suggest you go with the Cod Liver Oil.

 

You don't need the Omega 6 LA in the flax & walnut oil as you should get ample

from veggies.

 

Here is how the fatty acids convert:

 

Omega 6 LA > GLA > DGLA > AA

 

Omega 3 LNA > EPA > DHA

 

You want more DGLA, EPA & DHA in your cells and less AA.

 

DGLA makes the good eicosanoid PGE1.

EPA makes the good eicosanoid PGE3 and inhibits the bad PGE2

AA makes the bad eicosanoid PGE2.

EPA inhibits the conversion of DGLA to AA so EPA has several ways to reduce

PGE2. It is the

powerhouse of moderation.

 

Greg

[Guest guest]

I'm aware of an official recommendation (for DHA specifically - so that's an

omega-3) which is 300mg per day - for pregnant and lactating women. This

came from a journal article which probably will contain the info. on all the

other EFA recommendations. I don't have the article myself, but here's the

details if you wanted to look it up:

 

Simopoulos, AP. Workshop on the essentiality of and recommended dietary

intakes for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Journal of American College of

Nutrition, 1999; 18(5):487-489.

 

Rebecca T.

 

-

" Hilary Jacobson " <hjacobson

 

Saturday, November 17, 2001 9:06 AM

Greg-dosage EFAs

 

 

> Thanks, Greg. If I got you right, we should get OMEGA-6 from food (we are

nut and seed eaters), and

> take cod-liver oil that will not interfere in the metabolism of GLA but

will provide EPA and DHA.

>

> A question regarding mercury and other toxins in fish, fish oil and

cod-liver oil. Can you suggest

> brandnames that filter out toxins. I understand there is some method of

filtering on a molecular

> level, do not know what it is, or which products to prefer.

>

> Thanks so much! Oh -- how much cod-liver oil should a pregnant woman take,

or a breastfeeding woman?

> Not that you are a doctor (or are you?) and I don't suppose that there are

official recommendations

> about this...

> but do you have any thoughts on the matter?

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Rebecca! I'll see if I can find it.

 

Message: 23

Sat, 17 Nov 2001 09:52:55 +1300

" Brent & Rebecca Taiaroa " <bexs

Re: Greg-dosage EFAs

 

I'm aware of an official recommendation (for DHA specifically - so that's an

omega-3) which is 300mg per day - for pregnant and lactating women. This

came from a journal article which probably will contain the info. on all the

other EFA recommendations. I don't have the article myself, but here's the

details if you wanted to look it up:

 

Simopoulos, AP. Workshop on the essentiality of and recommended dietary

intakes for omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Journal of American College of

Nutrition, 1999; 18(5):487-489.

 

Rebecca T.

[Guest guest]

-

" Hilary Jacobson " <hjacobson

 

Saturday, November 17, 2001 6:36 AM

Greg-dosage EFAs

 

 

> Thanks, Greg. If I got you right, we should get OMEGA-6 from food (we are nut

and seed eaters), and

> take cod-liver oil that will not interfere in the metabolism of GLA but will

provide EPA and DHA.

 

Correct but limit Omega 6 LA (lineolic acid) to less than 7 g per day.

 

The idea is to allow Omega 6 LA to convert into Omega 6 GLA then Omega 6 DGLA

but to stop there and not be further

converted into Omega 6 AA.

 

Using Omega 3 LNA will inhibit Omega 6 LA to DGLA conversion. While some LNA is

OK it should be limited to about 2 - 3

g or what you get from about 1 tablespoon of ground flax / linseed.

 

Omega 3 EPA is the most powerful inhibitor of Omega 6 DGLA to Omega 6 AA

conversion.

 

Try to get about 600 mg total Omega 3 EPA + Omega 3 DHA per day. One serve (3

oz / 100 g) of salmon, mackerel, tuna,

herring, etc) will provide this or you can use 2 standard Omega 3 capsules

(total of 360 mg EPA + 240 mg DHA).

 

> A question regarding mercury and other toxins in fish, fish oil and cod-liver

oil. Can you suggest

> brandnames that filter out toxins. I understand there is some method of

filtering on a molecular

> level, do not know what it is, or which products to prefer.

 

The fish may have much more mercury than even cheap capsules. I suspect the

mercury in capsules is just marketing hype.

Use a good, long established company.

 

> Thanks so much! Oh -- how much cod-liver oil should a pregnant woman take, or

a breastfeeding woman?

 

I would suggest twice the normal dose of EPA & DHA as these fatty acids cross

into the mother and some research is

suggesting post birth depression is tied into depleted EPA & DHA in the mother.

 

> Not that you are a doctor (or are you?) and I don't suppose that there are

official recommendations

> about this...

 

Hi Hilary,

 

I'm a self taught Naturopath who is finishing up a uni degree in Complementary

Medicine (Naturopathy)

 

I'm 55, 6'3 " , 180 lbs, look like I'm 45, feel 35, very science & diet oriented.

 

I intend to practice in Anti-Aging medicine in Adelaide, Australia..

 

As far as Omega intake, yes there are simi official recommendations:

 

Polyunsaturated fatty acids in the food chain in the United States

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/71/1/179

 

ABSTRACT

In the United States, intake of n-3 fatty acids is 1.6 g/d (0.7% of energy), of

which 1.4 g is -linolenic acid (ALA;

18:3) and 0.1-0.2 g is eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5) and docosahexaenoic

acid (DHA; 22:6). The primary sources of

ALA are vegetable oils, principally soybean and canola. The predominant sources

of EPA and DHA are fish and fish oils.

Intake data indicate that the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids is 9.8:1. Food

disappearance data between 1985 and 1994

indicate that the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids has decreased from 12.4:1 to

10.6:1. This reflects a change in the

profile of vegetable oils consumed and, in particular, an approximate 5.5-fold

increase in canola oil use. The ratio of

n-6 to n-3 fatty acids is still much higher than that recommended (ie, 2.3:1).

Lower ratios increase endogenous

conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA. Attaining the proposed recommended combined

EPA and DHA intake of 0.65 g/d will

require an approximately 4-fold increase in fish consumption in the United

States. Alternative strategies, such as food

enrichment and the use of biotechnology to manipulate the EPA and DHA as well as

ALA contents of the food supply, will

become increasingly important in increasing n-3 fatty acid intake in the US

population.

 

MEETING DIETARY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR n-3 FATTY ACIDS

To date, no official dietary recommendations have been made for n-3 fatty acids

in the United States. Recommendations

for total PUFA intake, however, have been made: 1-2% of energy from linoleic

acid is required to prevent a fatty acid

deficiency (29) and total PUFA intake should remain at 7% of energy (30) and not

exceed 10% of energy (31).

 

Although no formal recommendation for n-3 fatty acid intake has been made in the

United States, a group of nutrition

scientists has recently provided guidelines for specific recommendations for

ALA, EPA, and DHA (Table 8, Figure 1; 21).

 

This group suggests that intake be:

 

1) Omega 3 ALA / LNA be 2.2 g/d

2) Omega 3 EPA and DHA combined be 0.65 g/d

3) Upper limit of 6.7 g Omega 6 LA/d.

 

Greg

[Guest guest]

I have read somewhere too, that there is a possible link between postnatal

depression and depleted DHA and EPA levels. On a personal level I think I

might have to agree with this!

 

My last pregnancy, I was studying full time and at the top of the class then

when the little one in question was born, I couldn't even remember what day

it was! When I returned to study, I certainly wasn't up to scratch either -

probably compounded by the fact I had such a poor diet back then too. I

certainly was feeling 'bummed out' and not my usual self. And this was even

when our little one managed to sleep through the night. I don't know about

anyone else - but I think a lack of sleep alone is enough to give anyone

full-scale depression!

 

So, this time around, I am going to get some DHA for myself! I'm over the

morning sickness, and think I can handle the fishy smell that DHA always

seems to have.....Once this little one is born, I'll keep you posted on

whether or not I reckon the DHA is helping - I'm planning to continue to

take DHA as well once the wee one is born (sometime in March I believe...due

dates are a mythical thing in my opinion (grin!))

 

Cheers,

 

Rebecca.

 

 

-

" Greg Watson " <gowatson

 

Saturday, November 17, 2001 2:32 PM

Re: Greg-dosage EFAs

 

 

 

>

> > Thanks so much! Oh -- how much cod-liver oil should a pregnant woman

take, or a breastfeeding woman?

>

> I would suggest twice the normal dose of EPA & DHA as these fatty acids

cross into the mother and some research is

> suggesting post birth depression is tied into depleted EPA & DHA in the

mother.

>

[Guest guest]

-

" Brent & Rebecca Taiaroa " <bexs

 

Saturday, November 17, 2001 1:45 PM

Re: Greg-dosage EFAs

 

 

> I have read somewhere too, that there is a possible link between postnatal

> depression and depleted DHA and EPA levels. On a personal level I think I

> might have to agree with this!

 

There are several studies which suggest this is so.

 

> My last pregnancy, I was studying full time and at the top of the class then

> when the little one in question was born, I couldn't even remember what day

> it was! When I returned to study, I certainly wasn't up to scratch either -

> probably compounded by the fact I had such a poor diet back then too. I

> certainly was feeling 'bummed out' and not my usual self. And this was even

> when our little one managed to sleep through the night. I don't know about

> anyone else - but I think a lack of sleep alone is enough to give anyone

> full-scale depression!

 

Japanese studies have shown EPA & DHA do effect the amount of agro you can stand

until you flip out. More EPA & DHA may

not make you feel much different until stress gets going. EPA has a BIG

positive effect on folks with bipolar problems

(calm one minute and flipped out the next). Refer to " The Omega Connection " for

more research data.

 

> So, this time around, I am going to get some DHA for myself! I'm over the

> morning sickness, and think I can handle the fishy smell that DHA always

> seems to have.....Once this little one is born, I'll keep you posted on

> whether or not I reckon the DHA is helping - I'm planning to continue to

> take DHA as well once the wee one is born (sometime in March I believe...due

> dates are a mythical thing in my opinion (grin!))

 

Hi Rebecca,

 

I believe you are doing a wise thing and both you and your child will benefit!

Don't just use DHA as EPA is also very

beneficial. You can get enteric coated capsules which dissolve in the

intestines, instead of the stomach and no reflux

or fishy taste.

 

Dr. Andew Stoll's book " The Omega Connection " lays out the results of his very

positive research into the connection

between EPA and the brain.

 

Greg