On Tue, 9 Jul 2002 13:42:59 -0500, Matt Baker <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> DHA level check

>This I find fascinating.  I didn't know such a test existed.  What is the
>name of the test?  I'd like to know what my levels are.

It's called long chain fatty acid test.
It was on my doctors list what the blood test could do and I requested him
to order this ("to make shure to be without a defficiency").
I recall it was expensive (some 200$) but taken by the health insurance.
I could see LA, ALA, AA, DHA and more long chain FAs (but not EPA).
There was no upper/lower margin established, just a value
"less than 5% of all healthy subjects have levels below"
(I had 5 or 10 fold this).

>Would it be possible that the Eades arrived at their clinical conclusions
>based on this test?

My guess is that the generally low ALA intake is even worsened by
a high LA intake - in most usual diets.

Except for flaxseed eaters (without too much safflor etc) and maybe
very low fat people who eat a lot of greens (the cell walls then have
adequate ALA compared to LA).

Of course DHA/EPA is available by fish oils and a few species of fresh
fish (but not ALA which is beneficial in other aspects too - cell walls)

> I'm also assuming <g> your own diet includes more
>sources of ALA than the SAD, and maybe your enzymes are less outcompeted,
>too(?)

I like the taste of fresh flax oil so much that I have to think about how to
get enough LA sources (mainly sunflower seeds).

>"... ALA constitutes about 11% of the fatty acids in canola oil.
>Canola oil is a major contributor to the total ALA intake of North
>Americans
>because it is widely used in salad and cooking oils, margarines and
>shortenings."

Better than nothing.
But what is this strange breed of a plant compared
to delicious flax. In taste and amounts.
Perilla beeing similar, I would like to taste.

Cheers,

Amadeus