Is flaxseed oil a substitute for fish oil?
by
Dr. William D.
This question comes up so frequently that it's worth going over. Flaxseed oil is a wonderful oil rich in linolenic acid, which may provide health benefits all by itself. Some authorities have speculated that the substantial reduction in heart attack seen in the Lyon Heart Study, the study that demonstrated the healthy power of the Mediterranean...
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Flaxseed Oil and Fish Oil Raise Omega-3 Fatty Acid Levels in Human Blood Cells
by
Mary W.
Fish oil supplementation is known to result in an increase in plasma omega-3 fatty acid content, particularly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Alpha linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in plants, is the direct precursor of EPA and DHA and should show effects similar to fish oil. Until now, however, this h...
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Fish Oil
by
Matt M.
Fish oil is one of the top sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fats are crucial to good health and have been researched extensively. It was been well-documented that the modern diet is low in omega-3 and also has too high of a ratio of omega-6 (another type of fat) to omega-3.Fish oil has many potential benefits. For example, an article i...
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Fish Oil and Macular Degeneration
by
Ruth S.
A National Eye Institute researcher John Paul SanGiovanni, ScD, and colleagues analyzed dietary data from 4,513 60- to 80-year-old participants in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study. Those who ate fish more than twice a week were half as likely to get macular degeneration as those who ate no fish at all. More than one weekly portion of broile...
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Fish Oil, Not Snake Oil
by
Jeri B.
I have been taking Omega 3 in the form of Fish Oil for some time now. While checking out YouTube.com for anything MS related, I came across this interesting video posted by a medical student. His exuberance over something not created by a pharmaceutical company is refreshing. He's quite a good writer as well. His blog can be found at:...
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Fish oil in the news
by
Dr. William D.
Hooray for the New York Times. They ran an article pointing out the miserable and inexcusable failure of American physicians to use fish oil after heart attack. “It is clearly recommended in international guidelines,” said Dr. Massimo Santini, the hospital’s chief of cardiology, who added that it would be considered tantamount to malpractice in ...
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Fish oil and mercury
by
Dr. William D.
I often get questions about the mercury content in fish oil. I've even had patients come to the office saying their primary care doctor told them to stop fish oil to avoid mercury poisoning. Manufacturers of fish oil also make claims that this product or that ("super-concentrated", "pharmaceutical grade", "purified", etc.) is purer or less cont...
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Fish Oil and Alzheimer's
by
Pat S.
This study found that patients diagnosed with mild Alzheimer's had no further progression of the disease when they took therapeutic levels of fish oil (1.7 grams of DHA and .6 grams of EFA). People with more advanced Alzheimer's received no benefit however.While the study does not say it, one might surmise from this that using Fish Oil could be...
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Alternatives to fish oil capsules
by
Dr. William D.
Occasionally, someone will be unable to take fish oil due to the large capsule size, excessive fishy belching, or stomach upset. The easiest solution is usually just to try a different brand, e.g., Sam's Club (Makers' Mark brand) enteric-coated. However, sometimes liquid fish oil preparations may be preferred. Here'a list of products we've used...
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Fish Oil and Cancer
by
Pat S.
For many years I have been reading of cases of cancer that were successfully treated by using large amounts of Omega 3 fish oil. Here is a recent case reported by the University of Nevada of how terminal lung cancer was halted by the use of high-dose fish oil. This is only one dramatic case but there are many well done studies showing widespre...
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