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Fish Oil V. Flax Seed Oil

foodiegurl

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foodiegurl Collaborator
foodiegurl
Posted

First, I find it interesting that before I was diagnosed I have low cholesterol, and then I get better and it is high. Though I did have it high before as well, and it runs in my family.

My doctor suggested taking fish oil. If you read my other thread you will see I am debating going back to meat, but taking fish oil still grosses me out...especially taking farm-raised fish oil with concentrated levels of mercury, etc... I know there are some brands at Whole Foods that are from Alaskan fish, but wow these are not cheap! So my question is....can I still get the benefits from taking flax seed oil?

Does anyone take flax seed oil for high cholesterol? And is it helping?

Thanks!

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mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

I am a great flax seed oil fan. Firstly, I despise fish oil, and secondly, the flax seed oil mixes readily into my morning yogurt and I don't even know it's there. I guess I have an aversion to fish oil from all that enforced cod liver oil as a kid :P I can notice the difference in my body when I am not taking the flax seed oil (and in my joints). I also use flax seed meal in baking, especially in whole grain loaves.

But since I have not had my cholesterol tested in ages I have no idea where I am at (they express the readings in metric down here which mean nothing to me :o ) So I am going to have them tested when I can back stateside in June.

rdunbar Explorer
rdunbar
Posted

I use a coffee grinder to grind flax seed and sprinkle it all over my salads and greens; it's not only yummy but the oils get released freshly by the grinder as I understand it. give it a try, you'll love it!!

ciavyn Contributor
ciavyn
Posted

AGH! I just started fish oil caplets to prevent high cholesterol (I don't currently have an issue, but I do like a bit of junk food, so I'm doing it for preventative measure). What is the deal with the mercury and such??

jackay Enthusiast
jackay
Posted

First, I find it interesting that before I was diagnosed I have low cholesterol, and then I get better and it is high. Though I did have it high before as well, and it runs in my family.

My doctor suggested taking fish oil. If you read my other thread you will see I am debating going back to meat, but taking fish oil still grosses me out...especially taking farm-raised fish oil with concentrated levels of mercury, etc... I know there are some brands at Whole Foods that are from Alaskan fish, but wow these are not cheap! So my question is....can I still get the benefits from taking flax seed oil?

Does anyone take flax seed oil for high cholesterol? And is it helping?

Thanks!

I was seeing a naturopath who had me taking so much flax seed oil and I kept getting sicker and sicker. I found out I was intolerant to it. Hopefully after eliminating it for a length of time, I'll be able to tolerate small amounts again.

jerseyangel Proficient
jerseyangel
Posted

I recently lowered my total cholesterol by 98 points in about 9 months by using freshly ground flaxseed, switching my calcium supplement to Citracal Heart Health with phytosterols, exercise, and sticking to low and non fat dairy.

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

Fish oil performs better than flax seed oil in cholesterol and cardiovascular health studies. This is because fish oil has the EPA and DHA, whereas flax seed has a precursor that your body may not convert to EPA or DHA efficiently depending on the amount of omega-6 in your diet. Flax seed rather rather than oil has worked to lower cholesterol and improve lipid balance in some studies; it may be partly a fiber effect. I take an enteric coated concentrated fish oil softgel that doesn't give any aftertaste.

The deal with the mercury is the same issue with eating tuna and other large, deepwater fish. Most brands treat their fish oil to remove any mercury but there is a recent lawsuit that has drawn attention to to the possibility of PCB contamination in the oils. If you're really worried, you can buy a report from Consumerlab.

Let's see if the ad filter lets these articles on fish vs. flaxseed through.

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WheatChef Apprentice
WheatChef
Posted

Open Original Shared Link regarding the relative conversion rates of Alpha-Linolenic Acid (found in flaxseed) into EicosaPentaenoic Acid and DocosaHexaenoic Acid (found in fish oil). As you can see the conversion rate is severely low (under 4% for DHA) and this conversion rate goes even lower when dealing with a diet abundantly rich in omega-6's (n-6).

The dietary benefit of omega-3's is largely from DHA and EPA not ALA. Flaxseeds are still a health food as the seeds themselves contain lignans which have a number of benefits on the human body. These however are not found in the processed flaxseed oil extracts.

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    • cristiana
      Coeliac or not coeliac

      By cristiana · Posted

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    • CC90
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