Don and Rachel Matesz <[log in to unmask]>
Next Generation Nutrition

For Mary (and others):
Cod liver oil is a source of super-unsaturated fatty acids.  It is not that
flax oil is harmful for kids, it is just that flax oil does not contain the
same constituents as cod liver oil and also that the LNA in flax oil has a
pitifully low conversion rate so one cannot rely on it (or other vegetable
sources of LNA) as a source of the activated omega-3s (DHA & EPA).  When you
eat wild game, oily deep ocean fish (samon, mackerel, sardines, etc) you get
preformed, actived omega-3s which are essential for the complete development
of a child's brain, eyes and nervous system.  Btw, recent research has shown
that EPA & DHA are crucial for adults and that a deficiency can lead to
depression, dementia, Alzheimers, loss of visual acuity, and many more
modern ailments!

Here is Barry Sears' take on this issue:
I have stated that flax seed oil is not the best source for Omega-3 fatty
acids since in high levels it can inhibit the enzyme delta-6-desaturase, and
therefore interfere with the production of good eicosanoids. Anything less
than a tablespoon a day of refined flax seed oil is probably not too bad.
Fish oil on the other hand gives a 10-fold increase in eicosanoid modulation
compared to
flax seed oil on a gram-for-gram basis since it is a direct inhibitor of
delta-5-desaturase, which produces arachidonic acid, the precursor of bad
eicosanoids. Flax seed oil which is 50 percent alpha linolenic acid must be
further converted to EPA to affect arachidonic acid synthesis. Supplementing
the diet with fish oil as opposed to flax seed oil is simply a better
dietary strategy to increase the balance of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids,
which affects the balance of dihomo gamma linolenic acid (the building block
of good
eicosanoids) to arachidonic acid (the building block of bad eicosanoids).

To learn more about FA (fatty acid) metabolism I suggest Ron Schmid's book
*Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine*.  Things are explained at length
and yet in terms I think any educated person will understand.  (You'll get
it, since you've been a teacher/read a lot.)

All the  best to you and yours :-))
back to the editing block.

Rachel M.


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