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