I found this e-mail in another newsgroup:


In today's Sunday Oregonian is a small article with Q&A by Joe and Teresa
Graedon of the People's Pharmacy. Since we've just been discussing this,
I'll copy the section from  their article:

Q: Are the omega-3 fatty acids found in organic flaxseed oil the same as
those found in fish? I'm a vegetarian,and I have heard that fish oil is
good for arthritis and heart disease.

A: Although flaxseed oil contains omega-3 fatty acids, they are "short
chain" fats rather than "long chain" like those in fish. Although the body
converts short chain to long chain fats, it's not that efficient. As a
result, you might not get the same benefits from flaxseed oil as from fish
oil. Flaxseed oil should be refrigerated because it goes rancid easily.