Paula <[log in to unmask]> asked:
>But i am wondering if  " deficiencies" are not more representing a
>difficulty in the regulating system of nutrients levels.than a truely
>deficient intake. (and especially if deficiencies are measured in the
>blood).

Are we deficient?  At best, the average American diet contains only
one-fifth the level of omega-3s found in traditional (non-agricultural or
hunting and gathering) diets.  Typical 20th century diets contain few if any
foods rich in omega-3s. Most people eat too much grain, too few vegetables
and too little fish, all of which upset the balance of EFAs in the body.
Further, food processors often replace unsaturated oils with hydrogenated
trans fatty acids to extend the shelf life of their products.

You would need to eat ten ounces of fatty fish daily to supply five grams
of EPA, and an optimal intake is likely at least that. One tablespoon of cod
liver oil, the maximum usually used as a daily supplement, provides 1.4
grams of grams of EPA, 1.3 grams of DHA, 14,000 I.U. (international units)
of vitamin A, and 1,400 I.U. of vitamin D.  A concentrated and potent food
supplement, cod liver oil should be used sparingly,=B2 notes Dr. Ron Schmid,
author of Traditional Foods Are Your Best Medicine (Healing Arts Press,
1987,1994, 1997). Some people benefit from as little as one teaspoon of
(non-emulsified) cod liver oil per day; others find two or three teaspoons
more helpful.

Rachel Matesz