On Sun, 5 May 2002 09:11:22 -0400, Marilyn Harris <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>.. She said that the Eades say that ALA suppresses the
>eiconasoids while I have provided a qoute that would indicate otherwise.

Yes, you provided annother reference for the benefits of ALA.
The Eades quote could be explained only in the context of a diet
with exclusively flax and nearly no other EFA sources. Like in a diet
with dairy and farmed animal fat only. Which could be short in LA.
However this circumstances are not probable, I think.


>You are saying that LA suppresses ALA which in turn lessens its (th ALA's)
>efffect on the production of eiconasoids?

This is suggested by the results of a lot of studies.
For example there were some studies resulting in an *elevated* cancer
tendency in a diet with a high in PUFA. If you look closer, you find that
the "PUFA" were simply safflor oil, pure LA.
Thus, actually such studies displayed the results of a diet devoid of
omega-3 EFA. I'm convinced that usage of 50% flax would have displayed
the opposite efect, because of the beneficial effect of a high EFA diet.

I'd like to mention too that a high PUFA diet requires proportionally high
vitamin E, to protect these oils. Otherwise the vitamin E resources may
become depleted. Particularly when people use extracted (zero-tasting) oils
(like most safflor/sunflower oils are). The extraction extracts the
necessary vitamin E too.

>And that flax seed oil's ALA is less effected by LA since there is
>relatively little LA inflax seed. LA being the culprit (and not ALA) which
>reduces eiconosoid (and, ultimately, prostoglandin) production.

We shouldn't forget that most prostaglandins are made out of LA, all the
series 1 and 2 PG's. So we need these.
But also an appropiate steering effect from the one (bad guys) to the other
side (good guys).

The positive effect of the ALA can be explained in 3 ways
1.The series 3 PG's made out of ALA (good guy)
2.The EPA made out of ALA (influencing to the good)
 And works with ready made EPA (fish oil) too, as many studies display.
3.The good influence ALA has on the cell wall permeability and elasticity.
 This can reduce insulin resistance and *this* would be a major factor
 toward the good side PG's.

cheers,

Amadeus