Thread: Favorite EFA supplement: what's yours?

Olimp Gold Omega-3 (33% EPA 22% DHA)
In an average diet, Omega 6 is plentiful. TOO plentiful. There is a 'best ratio' of Omega 3 to Omega 6 of about 1:3 to 1:4, but most people today are in the 1:10 to 1:20 range. I only take Omega 3 to balance out the ratio. Omega 9, if I recall correctly, isn't essential. And of Omega 3 fatty acids, only two (EPA and DHA) are important. If your supplement only has ALA (the most common Omega 3), your body can synthesize EPA and DHA from it, but it's an inefficient process (5% efficiency), and Omega 6 conversion uses the same metabolic pathway, so there's competition for the conversion.

So, I'd advise you to forget about Omega 6 supps, and concentrate on Omega 3.

[edit]
I looked at your Barnes oil. In 14 grams of oil it has 360 mg EPA and 240 mg DHA, which is about the same as ONE gram of the stuff I take, in one pill. I'd wager you could save yourself 200 calories a day by switching to something more targeted.

Is peanut butter a source of linoleic acid?

Originally Posted by ThreeGigs

Olimp Gold Omega-3 (33% EPA 22% DHA)
In an average diet, Omega 6 is plentiful. TOO plentiful. There is a 'best ratio' of Omega 3 to Omega 6 of about 1:3 to 1:4, but most people today are in the 1:10 to 1:20 range. I only take Omega 3 to balance out the ratio. Omega 9, if I recall correctly, isn't essential. And of Omega 3 fatty acids, only two (EPA and DHA) are important. If your supplement only has ALA (the most common Omega 3), your body can synthesize EPA and DHA from it, but it's an inefficient process (5% efficiency), and Omega 6 conversion uses the same metabolic pathway, so there's competition for the conversion.

So, I'd advise you to forget about Omega 6 supps, and concentrate on Omega 3.

[edit]
I looked at your Barnes oil. In 14 grams of oil it has 360 mg EPA and 240 mg DHA, which is about the same as ONE gram of the stuff I take, in one pill. I'd wager you could save yourself 200 calories a day by switching to something more targeted.

no shit!

I take 10g fish oil a day - 3g combined EPA/DHA.

sosc, not that I know of, but pine nuts are.

I use the barleans flax seed oil good stuff

....Dr.Schulz's SUPERFOOD powder....this shit IS AMAZING ....leagues ahead of ANY "superfood" powder on the market.....

Originally Posted by skinnyd

I use the barleans flax seed oil good stuff

You might want to rethink the flax oil. Its conversion to EPA/DHA is really lousy. Look up delta 6 desaturase activity in humans for more on this.

Originally Posted by CHTOBECOYO

....Dr.Schulz's SUPERFOOD powder....this shit IS AMAZING ....leagues ahead of ANY "superfood" powder on the market.....

I know nothing of superfood powders. Care to enlighten me?

Hasn't there been some recent research showing flax negatively effects test levels? That and plus the probability of the seeds being rancid before you even buy them.

News to me about test levels - but I have read flax can interfere with thyroid function. Either would suck.

Originally Posted by Built

News to me about test levels - but I have read flax can interfere with thyroid function. Either would suck.

I recently learned about this myself and admittedly haven't looked too much into it myself. As I don't eat barely any flax really myself it didn't concern me much but there are a couple threads on this on MM. Let me see if I can pull some references to share

That'd be great.

Originally Posted by Built

That'd be great.

Here is one thread

http://www.mindandmuscle.net/forum/s...ad.php?t=39302

I remember there being others but cant seem to find them right now. When I do I will be sure to post them up as well

Okay, the studies were uncontrolled for caloric intake, so the men may have simply shifted their fat intake away from other fats and toward the extra flax oil. Excess polyunsaturated fat is not a dietary strategy with which I feel comfort, and if the increase in polys came at a cost of saturates and monos (which it almost certainly did), I can see it affecting testosterone levels. The notion of phytoestrogenic lignans being added back into the oil is also noteworthy.

I'd like to see better research, but then, I say this often. Regardless, I'm no fan of flax oil as a supplement. It simply does not convert to any appreciable degree into the EPA/DHA needed by our bodies.

(As an aside, mind and muscle is an excellent site )