EFA from vegetarian sources

[dtto]

I always get my EFA's from fish oil. I know that trying to get it from a single veggie source isn't a great idea. You want the 3's more than the 6's or 9's

I've been suggested a brand that contains a blend of stuff. Wondering what the experts opinions are. I guess I can't post the product name so I'll only post the list of ingredients.

Supplement Facts
Serving Size 2 Capsules
Servings per Container 50

Two Capsules Contain

Calories 5
Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol /mixed tocopherol concentrate) 2.5 IU
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) seed oil 510 mg
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissinum) oil ? 72 mg
Yielding
Alpha-Linolenic Acid 36 mg
?Total Linoleic Acid 348 mg
Free Plant Sterols (from Glycine max bean)
(95% combined: beta-sitoserol, campesterol, stigmasterol) 224 mg
Soy Lecithin (from Glycine max bean) 40 mg
Policosanol (from Apis mellifera wax) 5 mg
Mixed Tocopherol Concentrate 8 mg
Yielding
Gamma-Tocopherol 3.4 mg
Delta-Tocopherol 1440 mcg

Other ingredients: Bovine gelatin, glycerin, purified water, yellow beeswax
Contains: Soy

 

[ergomaniac]

I always get my EFA's from fish oil. I know that trying to get it from a single veggie source isn't a great idea. You want the 3's more than the 6's or 9's

I've been suggested a brand that contains a blend of stuff. Wondering what the experts opinions are. I guess I can't post the product name so I'll only post the list of ingredients.

Supplement Facts
Serving Size 2 Capsules
Servings per Container 50

Two Capsules Contain

Calories 5
Vitamin E (d-alpha-tocopherol /mixed tocopherol concentrate) 2.5 IU
Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) seed oil 510 mg
Flaxseed (Linum usitatissinum) oil ? 72 mg
Yielding
Alpha-Linolenic Acid 36 mg
?Total Linoleic Acid 348 mg
Free Plant Sterols (from Glycine max bean)
(95% combined: beta-sitoserol, campesterol, stigmasterol) 224 mg
Soy Lecithin (from Glycine max bean) 40 mg
Policosanol (from Apis mellifera wax) 5 mg
Mixed Tocopherol Concentrate 8 mg
Yielding
Gamma-Tocopherol 3.4 mg
Delta-Tocopherol 1440 mcg

Other ingredients: Bovine gelatin, glycerin, purified water, yellow beeswax
Contains: Soy

considering the fact that two capsules contain 5 calories, about half a gram of fat, I would say this product contains little in the way of efas.
fish oil is supplemented for epa and dha, neither of which is an efa.
there are only two efas (essential fatty acids). alpha linolenic acid and linoleic acid. the most balanced source would be hemps seed oil. or hemp seeds, which also contain almost as many grams of protein as grams of fat.

and I don't think you really want the 3's more than the 6's or 9's.
heres a good book to read; fats that heal, fats that kill by Udo Erasmus.

 

[dtto]

considering the fact that two capsules contain 5 calories, about half a gram of fat, I would say this product contains little in the way of efas.

Right! I overlooked that.

fish oil is supplemented for epa and dha, neither of which is an efa.
there are only two efas (essential fatty acids). alpha linolenic acid and linoleic acid. the most balanced source would be hemps seed oil. or hemp seeds, which also contain almost as many grams of protein as grams of fat.

and I don't think you really want the 3's more than the 6's or 9's.
heres a good book to read; fats that heal, fats that kill by Udo Erasmus.

I while back I was taking Udo's Oil which claims to be a balance of 3, 6 & 9. But upon further research and advice from others I found that Omega 3's are the ones that are required to supplement. Omega 6's are plenty especially in a North American diet. Omega 3's are the ones that need to be supplemented.

Here is one resource that explains it. Strangely it does not talk about 9's : Essential Fatty Acids

I guess this product is more about the plant sterols which are said to be beneficial. Not sure how much of truth is there in that.

 

[ergomaniac]

Right! I overlooked that.


I while back I was taking Udo's Oil which claims to be a balance of 3, 6 & 9. But upon further research and advice from others I found that Omega 3's are the ones that are required to supplement. Omega 6's are plenty especially in a North American diet. Omega 3's are the ones that need to be supplemented.

Here is one resource that explains it. Strangely it does not talk about 9's : Essential Fatty Acids

I guess this product is more about the plant sterols which are said to be beneficial. Not sure how much of truth is there in that.

its really not that strange that an article titled and about essential fatty acids does not talk about omega 9's, since they are not essential fatty acids. the most common n-9 being oleic acid.
omega 3's don't have to be supplemented. from the third paragraph of your article, "this imbalance is due to a reliance on processed foods and oils, which are now common in the western diet." the rest of the article is so-so.
so you can either eliminate certain foods, and/or add certain foods to correct any imbalances you might think you have. since omega 3's are the ones you want, flax seed oil is your best choice.

 

[dtto]

@ergomaniac Thanks! that explanation helps.

 

[dtto]

@ergomaniac do you suggest taking fish oil for EPA/DHA in addition to hemp oil? Or just hemp oil will do? Also how much per day do you suggest?

 

[Morefyah]

Hmm.. Bovine gelatin.
I personally run a high fat diet with all my EFA coming from plant sources.
Hemp, Flax, olive, and avocado oils.
I also addicted to any kind of nut butters. Usually consuming 6-10 tbls a day. I have found no issues having them ALL come from plant sources.

 

[dtto]

Wow ! That's s lot of yummy fat sources. I think I'll give hemp oil a shot.

 

[ergomaniac]

@ergomaniac do you suggest taking fish oil for EPA/DHA in addition to hemp oil? Or just hemp oil will do? Also how much per day do you suggest?

I would suggest eating cold water fatty fish (salmon or sardines) for youre epa/dha needs, twice a week or more. I don't think its "necessary" to add hemp oil. but I don't think it would hurt. hemp seeds have some other interesting fatty acids as well.
but I don't have specific recommendations as far as how much.

I eat salmon and sardines on the regular so I don't think much about it.

curious though, why so interested in vegetarian sources of efas if you taking fish oil

 

[dtto]

curious though, why so interested in vegetarian sources of efas if you taking fish oil

That product was suggested to me so I thought I'd take a closer look. Plant sterols and stanols are said to have a LDL lowering effect. That was on the product page with a whole bunch of references cites under it. I didnt get too deep into it as most of the med info didnt make too much sense to me so I thought I'd ask

I guess I got onto a tangent with the hemp oil discussion.

 

[Juced]

i highly rec adding fresh olive oil to everything you can liek i do. pastas. salads, veggies , shit even add a shot in my protein drinks.
also alvocados are nice and nuts, almond butter is awesome.
hemp is also great.
for the dha etc. stuff you would get from fish you could get a blue algae supp that has it in there and is fish free. i have that.

 

[dtto]

i highly rec adding fresh olive oil to everything you can liek i do. pastas. salads, veggies , shit even add a shot in my protein drinks.
also alvocados are nice and nuts, almond butter is awesome.
hemp is also great.
for the dha etc. stuff you would get from fish you could get a blue algae supp that has it in there and is fish free. i have that.

Yes olive oil is great. I add it to salads whenever I can. I'll look into hat Blue Algae supp.