Update on Essential Fats

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Copyright 2001 Krispin Sullivan, CN Updated: Wednesday, May 11, 2005

 

Terms Used

 

Omega-6: Any of the fatty acids in the omega-6 family, short or

long-chain. Also designated as n-6. These fats are polyunsaturates

with multiple double bonds beginning on carbon 6.

 

Linoleic Acid: Short-chain omega-6 fatty acid also designated by LA.

Can be converted into arachidonic acid.

 

Arachidonic acid: Long-chain essential omega-6 designated AA

 

Docosapentanoic Acid: Long-chain omega-6 designated DPA (displaces DHA

in the brain- not a good thing)

 

Omega-3: Any of the fatty acids in the omega-3 family, short or

long-chain. Also designated by n-3. These fats are polyunsaturated

with multiple double bonds beginning on carbon 3.

 

Linolenic Acid: Short-chain omega-3 fatty acid designated by ALA or

LNA or alpha linolenic acid. Can be converted into EPA and DHA.

 

Eicosapentanoic Acid: Long-chain essential omega-3 designated EPA

 

Docosahexaenoic Acid: Long-chain essential omega-3 designated DHA. The

most important fatty acid for brain function.

 

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids: Fats containing one double bond on carbon

9. Designated omega-9 or n-9 or oleic acid.

 

Saturated fats: Fats with no double bonds. They can be short or

long-chained. They are ubiquitous (in all life). Several are

critically important to health and may be anti-viral and

anti-bacterial. Natural saturated fats are stable to heat and light

and safe for higher heat cooking. They do not oxidize readily.

 

Trans-fats: Trans-fatty acids are created when seed and grain oils are

processed such as in the making of margarine and the hyrdrogenated

fats used in most processed foods. Trans-fats also occur in vegetable

and grain oils when they are heated.

 

Seed and grain oils: Corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, sesame,

cottonseed, canola, walnut, peanut, flax,

 

Fruit oils: Olive, avocado.

 

Essential Fats for Humans

 

Fatty acids play critical roles in human health and disease. Cell

membranes (all cells) are composed of a double layer of fats. Your

brain is about 60% fat. The fats you eat strongly influence the

ability of your cell membranes, especially brain and nerve cells, to

function.

 

Cholesterol is an alcohol, not a fat. Natural saturated fats are found

in all foods to some degree. Saturation of a fat may be natural or

from processing as is done to make margarine solid. Naturally

occurring saturated fats are not associated with disease unless they

are imbalanced by inadequate intake of the polyunsaturate essential

fatty acids, especially the omega-3 fats.

 

 

* Linoleic Acid is an omega-6 that is 20 (or more) times too high in

the American diet and strongly implicated in degenerative diseases.

 

* Linolenic Acid is a short chain omega-3 found in perilla,

canola and flax considered by some to be important as a source of long

chain omega-3 DHA and EPA but many Americans suffer from poor

conversion, an enzyme insufficiency, or impaired genetic ability to

elongate the fatty acid to its active EPA and DHA forms.

 

* Arachidonic Acid is found in meat and fish and eggs and dairy

and made in our bodies from linoleic acid. It is critical for the

growth of the body and brain and for healthy immune function but is

needed in very small amounts.

 

* EPA, eicosapentanoic acid and DHA, docosahexaenoic acid, are

found in fish, grass-fed beef and poultry and wild game. Some may be

made from linolenic acid, depending on your genetics, your liver

function and other as yet unknown factors.

 

Omega-3 (Fish Oil) Fatty Acid Update

 

Omega-3 fatty acids, DHA and EPA, are essential to brain and nerve

function. In cell membranes they enhance cell response (to insulin,

neurotransmitters and other messengers), and facilitate repair when

cells are damaged. Omega-6 fats contribute to membrane resistance,

altering mood, insulin response, learning and cell repair in a

negative way.

 

There is a chart located on the end of this report showing the list of

fat types and other charts showing fat types in foods. You may use

this as a reference guide.

 

Some anthropologists believe the human brain would not have developed

as it did without access to high levels of DHA found in fish and

shellfish and to a lesser degree in wild game. Just two generations of

high omega-6 and low omega-3 can lead to profound alterations in brain

size and brain function in animals and probably in man. Other

anthropologists believe that the human brain formed as it is today,

large in proportion to body size, and that its capacity is being

diminished as the diet becomes deficient in omega-3 fats. A relative

omega-3 fatty acid deficiency can be created by an overabundance of

omega-6 fats; a lack of omega-3 fats; alcohol consumption; or the

consumption of trans-fats. All of these conditions have been

dramatically increasing in occurrence in the US over the past 50

years.

 

Breast milk contains DHA and EPA, equivalent to amounts present in the

mother's diet (what mom eats is critical). Formula contains no

omega-3. Raising children on formula or mother's milk deficient in

omega-3 fatty acids contributes to impaired visual development, poor

spatial development, slower learning, decreased comprehension and

early allergies and asthma.

 

A building body of research is showing the critical importance, to our

current health and our children's health, of reducing the amount of

omega-6 fats in the American diet while increasing intake of omega-3

fatty acids. I have suggested the use of butter, coconut and olive oil

for many years and this recommendation continues. An additional change

in fat intake should include identification and elimination of all

added omega-6 fats while omega-3 fats need to be sought out and their

intake substantially increased. To do this you will need to avoid as

much as possible all vegetable seed oils. Do not use sunflower, corn,

soy, safflower, canola, or products that contain these oils. That is,

no hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated fats, no margarine, no

vegetable oil of any kind, no shortening.

 

Acceptable oils are extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil in moderate

quantities. Interestingly these are fruit oils. High oleic (omega-9)

safflower or sunflower oils are also acceptable. Natural

(non-hydrogenated) saturated fats are NOT a problem. Use butter,

coconut oil, palm oil and non-hydrogenated lard as desired, also in

moderate amounts.

 

Fats in natural foods are never composed of a single type of fatty

acid. Coconut oil has polyunsaturated fats and olive oil has saturated

fat. In nature fats are always mixed. Even fish oil contains saturated

fat and cholesterol.

 

Do not worry about naturally occurring cholesterol in fish, eggs or

lean meats. Do not worry about total fat intake as long as it is from

actual food, whole-fat milk, real butter, the fat naturally found on

wild caught fish, free range poultry and grass fed beef or pastured

pork. The change to concentrate on is reducing ADDED FAT, eliminating

as much omega-6 added fat as possible. Do your best to avoid all

obvious omega-6 fats. If you suffer from elevated cholesterol it is

even more important that you increase your omega-3 fats and avoid

omega-6. Keep your total fat grams, from food and added, to about 30%

of total calories.

 

Between 1903 and 1998 added fats rose from 34 pounds per person per

year, mostly butter and lard, to more than 66 pounds per person per

year. All of the fat increase was in the form of omega-6 as salad

dressing, margarine, shortening and hydrogenated fat added to

processed foods and candies. See the charts that follow.

 

[chart by USDA and WB Grant, PhD showing Per Capita Fat Supply for the

U.S., 1909-1998]

 

The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in the U.S. diet is somewhere between

25-50:1. The ideal ratio is somewhere between 4:1-1:1.

 

To correct this imbalance you will need to avoid added omega-6 fats

and add fatty fish 3 or 4 days a week, minimum, making sure to eat the

skin and fat under the skin. Remember, the fish should not be cooked

with an omega-6 fat (vegetable oil or margarine) nor dipped in

mayonnaise, also an omega-6. The one exception is Saffola Mayonnaise,

high oleic containing mostly omega-9 fatty acids.

 

Supplementing Omega-3

If you are not eating fatty fish such as mackerel, sardines, salmon,

daily, including the skin and fat under the skin, you will need to

use fish oil supplements to equal 10-15 grams of fish fat containing

3-5 grams of combined DHA-EPA per day (equivalent to about 1-2

tablespoons of fish oil).

 

The 'treatment dose' is 300 mg combined DHA-EPA for each 10 pounds of

actual body weight, for both children and adults. Typical 1,000 mg

fish oil soft gels contain about 180 mg EPA and 120 DHA, 300 mg

combined in each. 180 pounds would take 18 gels, 150 pounds 15 gels.

If using the Trader Joe Omega-3, more concentrated containing 500 mg

of the DHA-EPA combined in each soft gel, use 1 for each 15 pounds of

body weight.

 

Fish oil can be taken with or without food. Many clients find that

there is less reflux when taken on an empty stomach. Do not take all

of your fish oil at once. Split your daily amount into two or three

doses. Do not take any after 5 PM if you find the fish oil very

energizing as it may disrupt your sleep. If digestive upset occurs

stop until things normalize and increase slowly or stick with a lower

dose.

 

The maintenance dose of fish oil is likely to be 3,000 mg of combined

DHA-EPA for each 20 pounds of body weight. 3 grams of combined DHA-EPA

is found in 10 of the Costco Fish Oil or 6 of the Trader Joe Omega-3.

 

The best source of omega-3 fish oil I have found is the Kirkland brand

from Price-Costco. It is the freshest (due to high product turnover),

good quality, free of heavy metals and contaminants and a great price,

300 soft gels for $8. Each soft gel contains 300 mg of omega-3 fatty

acids per each 1,000 mg soft gel. Trader Joe's also has a good

buy.

Their supplement is slightly stronger, 500 mg omega-3 per soft gel, so

fewer soft gels are needed.

 

Mercury toxicity is not a consideration with fish oil. Mercury is

WATER soluble, not fat soluble. Low fat tuna and the flesh (not fat)

of other large fish contain the highest levels of mercury. Other

toxins can be present in fish oils. Reputable manufacturers should be

willing to provide safety standards/testing. Due to the way fish oil

is processed many contaminates are removed and taking fish oil is

safer than eating large amounts of fish. Farmed fish have the lowest

levels of omega-3 and highest levels of ALL contaminants.

 

Omega-3 and 6 fats move into cell membranes, particularly the

membranes of nerve and epithelial cells. Epithelial cells compose

skin, the lining of the arteries and lungs, the linings of the ducts

in the breast and testes. The preferential fat for these brain and

epithelial cell membranes is omega-3 but n-3 will be replaced by n-6,

if n-3 is not available. Cells where omega-3 is displaced by omega-6

are less able to repair themselves and may become hyperplasic.

 

The brain and nerves so need omega-3 that they will rob it from every

other cell to maintain optimum brain levels. Some of the brain and

nerve conditions associated with high omega-6 and/or low omega-3

include, alcoholism, depression, manic depression, memory loss,

impaired night vision, anxiety, insomnia, dementia, Multiple

Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia,

stress induced hostility and schizophrenia.

 

In the following graph of US per capita fat consumption 1909-1998 it

is clear that both our overall intake of fats and intake of omega-6

fats has dramatically increased. From this data it seems prudent to

reduce omega-6 fats.

 

Added Fats and Oils U.S. Pounds Per Capita Intake 1909-1998

 

[graph]

 

From the USDA 1909 1945 1970 1980 1998

 

 

Butter

In 1909 butter and cream was from grass-fed cows high in CLA.

 

17.9 11.7 5.4 4.5 4.2 Butter from grass-fed cows contains omega-3 &

CLA

 

Lard

In 1909 natural lard, not hydrogenated, contained poly fats including

omega-3

 

6.9 12.2 4.5 2.3 2.0 Most is now hydrogenated or from grain-fed

(omega-6) pigs

 

Margarine

 

1.2 3.9 10.8 11.3 8.3 All omega-6 and trans-fats

 

Shortening, Crisco, added hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated

fats.

(In 1909 shortening contained less omega-6. It had coconut or palm

oil, safer)

 

8.0 10.0 17.3 22.2 20.9 All Omega-6 and trans-fats

 

Salad Oils

Most Omega-6, often rancid, containing trans-fats.

 

N/A N/A 15.5 21.3 27.9 In 1998 a small amount was omega-9 olive oil

(<0.5 lb)

 

Edible Tallow

 

N/A N/A N/A 1.1 3.2 Total Pounds of Added Fat Per Capita

 

34 37.8 53.5 62.7 66.5 Almost double by 1998

 

There is no indication our intake of natural saturated fats has

increased over this period of time as is suggested to be the commonly

accepted 'cause' of degenerative diseases. What has increased is our

intake of omega-6 fats.

 

The following paper was presented in 2000 at the National Institute of

Health is Washington, DC. The BOLD text is my emphasis. Keywords in

understanding fats- Linoleate is omega-6, linolenate is omega-3 as is

DHA and EPA and oleic is omega-9. Linoleate, DHA, EPA and linolenate

are all polyunsaturated fats. Oleic omega-9 is monounsaturated fat.

Choice of n-3, Monounsaturated and Trans-fatty Acid-Enriched Oils for

the Prevention of Excessive Linoleic Acid Syndrome

 

Harumi Okuyama, Ph.D., Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nagoya City

University,

 

Mizuhoku, Nagoya 467-8603, Japan

 

Excessive linoleic acid (omega-6) intake and relative n-3 deficiency

syndrome

 

Animal experiments and epidemiological studies have revealed that

excessive intake of linoleic acid (omega-6) (LA, n-6) is a major risk

factor for cancers of western type, allergic hyper-reactivity,

coronary heart disease ( CHD) and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) (1).

Although epidemiological studies performed in the USA failed to reveal

a positive correlation between LA intake and breast cancer mortality,

this is probably because the proximate marker for breast cancer is the

proportion of n-6 eicosanoid precursors in phospholipids, which is

saturated both in the high and low LA intake groups in the USA.

Empirical equations presented by Lands indicate that both increasing

the intake of n-3 fatty acids and decreasing that of n-6 fatty acids

are necessary for effectively decreasing the n-6 eicosanoid precursors

in phospholipids and thereby decreasing cancer mortality. On the other

hand, high n-6/n-3 ratio but not hypercholesterolemia has been proved

clinically to be a major risk factor for thrombotic diseases.

Over-production of inflammatory lipid mediators of n-6 series has been

shown to be a major cause for the rapid increase in allergic

hyper-reactive patients in Japan.

 

President's Summary 1997 from the Japan Society for Lipid

Nutrition

 

After discussion through several annual meetings of the Japan Society

for Lipid Nutrition, Presidents Summary 1997 was published (in

Japanese) as a review article (J. Lipid Nutr. 6:5-42, 1997), in which

20% as total fat energy was recommended for those with moderate

physical activity. For healthy populations, saturated plus

monounsaturated : n-6 : n-3 = 2.5 : 0.8 : 0.2 (n-6/n-3 4) was

recommended.

 

For the primary and secondary prevention of those diseases described

above, an n-6/n-3 ratio of 2 was recommended. The latter value was

based on: 1) even the n-6/n-3 ratio of Danes was 3 in a well known

epidemiology of Greenland natives; 2) the ratio of current Japanese is

4 but the incidence of cancers of western type has been increasing

rapidly, and the ratio of 4 or above cannot be recommended; 3) animal

experiments have shown the effectiveness of decreasing n-6/n-3 ratio

to below 2 for the suppression of carcinogenesis and metastasis; and

4) the safety of n-6/n-3 ratio of 1 has been established in animal

experiments and in a retrospective study on hunters and gatherers

foods.

 

In order to meet the recommendations described above, vegetable oils

with n-6/n-3 ratios of 2 or below and those with very low n-6 fatty

acid contents (e.g., high-oleic type) are useful. However, there was

another criterion to be considered; the presence of minor components,

which affect animal physiology seriously.

 

Survival time-shortening and renal injury induced by some vegetable

oils and partially hydrogenated oils in SHRSP rats

 

Using soybean oil as a control, some oils were found to prolong the

mean survival time of SHRSP rats by ca 10% (e.g., DHA-rich fish oil,

perilla seed oil, flaxseed oil) while some others shortened it

dose-dependently by ca 40% (double-low rapeseed oil, evening primose

oil, high-oleate safflower oil, high-oleate sunflower oil, olive oil

and partially hydrogenated rapeseed and soybean oil). When the

rapeseed oil was lipase-treated, the resulting free fatty acid

fraction was almost free of such activity, indicating that the

survival-time shortening activity is due to minor components other

than fatty acids in these oils. Free fatty acid fraction from

partially-hydrogenated soybean oil exhibited a survival time between

those of the original oil and soybean oil. It should be emphasized

that lard and sesame oil were relatively safe for the SHRSP rats.

 

Those oils with survival-time shortening activity were found to cause

renal injury; lesions in blood vessels, accelerated proteinuria,

decreased platelet count and elevated gene expression for TGF?,

fibronectin and renin.

 

Choice of n-3, monounsaturated and trans-fatty acid-enriched oils

 

In order to decrease the n-6/n-3 ratio of our current foods to 2 or

below, the intake of high-n3 linolenate oils such as perilla seed oil

and flaxseed oil as well as seafood and vegetables should be

increased.

 

High-linoleate (omega-6) oils are inappropriate for human use as

foods. For deep-frying and preservation purpose, high-oleate vegetable

oils are useful but all the high-oleate vegetable oils and

hydrogenated vegetable oils we have examined so far exhibited the

survival time-shortening activity, and I cannot recommend people to

have these oils in large quantities. Instead, lard was safe for this

animal model, and could be used in quantities not to induce obesity;

animal fats as well as a high-LA vegetable oil intake caused insulin

resistance in a NIDDM model of rats.

 

Reference

 

Okuyama, H., Kobayashi, T., and Watanabe, S. (1997) Dietary fatty

acids ñ The n-6/n-3 balance and chronic, elderly diseases. Excess

linoleic acid (omega-6) and relative n-3 deficiency syndrome seen in

Japan. Prog. Lipid Res. 35: 409-457.

 

 

Key Facts Regarding n-3 and n-6

* Omega-6 fats in amounts more than essential promote cancer,

heart disease, autoimmune disorders including arthritis, diabetes,

allergy and asthma.

 

* Omega-6 fats must be drastically reduced. Eliminate all obvious

sources.

 

* Omega-3 are protective and may -prevent or reverse listed

conditions.

 

* Omega-3 fatty acids from flax or perilla are not well converted

to the needed EPA and DHA in many person.

 

* Omega-3 is available from fish but adequate daily intake is

problematic due to chemical toxicity from pesticides, etc.

 

* Fats are incorporated into skin- you are what you eat- a

combination of omega-3 fats and natural saturated fats including

coconut oil, butter and non-hydrogenated lard offer the best

protection from disease, including skin cancer.

 

* Omega-6 fats, in high amounts, promote inflammation of tissue

so that the skin, linings of the lungs, gut, breast, prostate, and

bone are more susceptible to damage from UV light, carcinogens,

mutagens, allergens and toxins.

 

* Omega-3 fats including all parts of the fish oil, both DHA and

EPA and even the cholesterol it contains protect these same cells.

bullet HDL cholesterol in its own right has powerful antioxidant

activity.

 

* Omega-6 decreases and omega-3 increases HDL cholesterol.

bullet Omega-3 DHA is the major fat in the eye and is replaced (if

available) every 10 days. Increasing omega-3 with fish oil improves

night vision and color vision.

 

* Omega-3 fats are associated with the ability to smell and for

seniors who have lost their sense of smell fish oil may restore it in

1-2 months.

 

* Omega-3 fats improve memory. Just two days after increasing

omega-3 the phosphatidylserine content of the brain may triple.

 

HDL has long been known as the good cholesterol, protecting against

heart disease and atherosclerosis. It was recently discovered that HDL

has powerful antioxidant properties similar to vitamin C, vitamin E,

and coenzyme Q-10. An HDL associated enzyme, lecithin-cholesterol

acyltransferase , which forms part of HDL, is a powerful antioxidant

enzyme that blocks the oxidization of LDL cholesterol. Cholesterol is

beneficial and without harm if it is not first oxidized. Vohl MC,

Neville TA, Kumarathasan R, Braschi S, Sparks DL: A novel

lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase antioxidant activity prevents the

formation of oxidized lipids during lipoprotein oxidation.

Biochemistry; 1999 May 11;38(19):5976-81

 

Oleic acid is an omega-9 such as found in olive oil and avocado oil.

Some sunflower and safflower oils are bred to be high in this fat,

safe for cooking and mayonnaise. Look for the words High Oleic on the

bottle and a high number for omega-9 on the label.

Essential Fatty Acids Explained

 

Many people find it difficult to believe that fat can be essential to

your health, but it's true. Fatty acids are the " building blocks " of

fat. Some of these fats are called " essential " because your body needs

them, yet cannot make them; you must eat them.

 

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are all polyunsaturated fats. The two

types of essential fatty acids are omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6

fatty acids. These come in short and long chain configurations. The

short-chain omega-3 is alpha-linolenic acid (LNA or ALA). Its

elongated (made longer) derivatives include: eicosapentaeonic acid

(EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and a few others, less well known

and less studied.

 

The main short-chain omega-6 is linoleic acid (LA). Like LNA, it also

has elongated derivatives, the main being arachidonic acid, necessary

for prostaglandin formation and brain function.

 

The very long-chain omega-3 EFAs are connected with brain and visual

development in infants. Deficiencies in adults can lead to impaired

mental processes, including learning disorders, dementias and other

neuronal diseases, impaired vision, and depression. Studies suggest

that prolonged deficiencies might lead to retinal and macular damage.

In pregnant women low levels of the elongated omega-3 can actually

reduce brain size in offspring.

 

How much of these essential fatty acids do you need? There is no RDA

yet, but many sources agree that Americans do not get nearly enough

omega-3. Even worse we get too much omega-6, which displaces omega-3

in cell membranes and neural circuits.

 

Researchers involved in the Workshop on the Essentiality of and

Recommended Dietary Intakes for Omega-6 and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

suggest " adequate intakes " of each:

 

* omega-3: 0.65 grams (g) of EPA and DHA combined (with neither

falling below 0.22 g)

 

* omega-6: 4.44 g

 

The problem with these numbers is that a diet containing nuts and

seeds or meat or even milk and eggs as a protein source has at least

12 grams of omega-6. That would mean that a minimum (not optimal) of

omega-3 would be 1.95 grams which is the amount in about 6 ounces of

fatty fish daily (more would be needed if lean fish is used) however,

even that does not work if you are eating farmed fish as farmed fish

is high in omega-3 but equally high in omega-6, canceling the much of

the benefit to balance ratios.

 

Sources looking at the dietary ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids

suggest that in early human history the ratio was about 1:1. Currently

most Americans eat a dietary ratio that falls between 20:1 and 50:1.

The optimal ratio is most likely between 4:1 and 1:1. For most

Americans this means greatly reducing the omega-6 fatty acids they

consume and increasing the amount of omega-3 fatty acids.

 

Please note that this has nothing to do with rancid fats, trans-fats

or hydrogenated fats. These damaged fats are not good for you but

neither are the `cold pressed' so called healthy vegetable

oils like canola, soy, safflower, sunflower or corn oils. Even flax

has a significant amount of omega-6 and should be avoided. If you are

vegan or vegetarian use perilla oil instead and avoid so called

`essential fat' supplements that contain omega-6 and omega-9

in

addition to omega-3. You can get all you need of n6 and n9 from food.

 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

 

The best source of omega-3 fatty acids is cold-water (the colder the

better) fish, which is high in both EPA and DHA. You may need as

little as three servings a week of very fatty fish (make sure to eat

the skin and surrounding fat) or 8 or more ounces daily to meet your

genetic need. If fish are not your thing you can use fish oil

capsules. A standard fish oil concentrate soft gel weighing 1000 mg

contains about 300 milligrams of omega-3. The suggested dose is 300 mg

of total (EPA+DHA) omega-3 for each 10 pounds of body weight during

the first three months or so. After this time reduce the dose to

1/2-2/3 of original dose, that would be 300 mg total combined DHA-EPA

omega-3 for each 15-20 lbs. of body weight.

 

Important: Fish oils produce free radicals in your body. You must be

sure to get enough antioxidants, particularly vitamin E and vitamin K,

when you increase your fish or fish oil intake. About 1 mg. of vitamin

K and 100 IU of vitamin E daily will suffice. Amounts greater than

this are not needed.

 

You may be tempted to eat foods or use supplements that contain LNA

(linolenic acid- short chain omega-3) rather than EPA and DHA from

fish or fish oil (particularly if you're a vegetarian), but you should

be aware that it may not be very useful to you, as many of us convert

it to EPA and DHA very inefficiently. This impaired conversion is

further reduced in aging. In many studies even large doses of ALA

(flax or perilla) did not raise membrane DHA. Flaxseed, perilla oil

and walnuts are common sources of LNA. Recent studies suggest high

amounts of ALA may be associated with prostate cancer.

 

You may try adding perilla oil (lower in omega-6) and buying the

`algae' DHA such as Neuromins from Solgar or Nature's

Way, which contain 100 mg of DHA per each soft gel. To match the fish

oil program you would need 3 or more tablespoons of perilla oil daily

plus about

5-15 per day of the Neuromins providing 500-1,500 mg of DHA.

 

A sampling of foods high in DHA and EPA (combined):

 

[chart]

 

Food Grams in 100-gram serving 100 grams =3.5 ounces Grams in

normal-sized serving

 

Sardine oil 20.79 2.83 (1 tablespoon)

 

Cod liver oil 17.87 2.43 (1 tablespoon)

 

Herring oil 10.48 1.43 (1 tablespoon)

 

Salmon, Atlantic (farmed)*** 2.15 3.89 (half fillet)

 

Mackerel, Pacific and jack*** 1.85 3.25 (1 fillet)

 

Pickled herring 1.39 .42 (2 pieces)

 

Salmon, chinook*** 1.74 2.68 (half fillet)

 

Salmon, pink*** 1.28 1.6 (half fillet)

 

Mackerel, Atlantic*** 1.20 1.07 (1 fillet)

 

Rainbow trout (farmed)*** 1.15 .82 (1 fillet)

 

Bluefish*** .99 1.16 (1 fillet)

 

Sardines, canned in oil .98 .90 (1 can, 92 g)

 

White tuna, canned in water .86 .73 (3 oz, 85 g)

 

***cooked with dry heat