The Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) that we in the western world are most likely deficient in, if our diets aren’t ideally balanced, is omega 3 oil (aka alpha-linolenic acid). This one nutrient is probably the principle reason people eat organic flax seed (aka linseed) or fish, but you may be surprised to know which the best source is.
To help answer this question though, we need to quickly cover some basic biochemistry (don’t panic!). As you can see from figure 1, the ‘grandmother’ of omega 3 EFA is alpha-linolenic acid. To get to its most biologically active form, for our bodies to use and most benefit from, it must be converted. Firstly EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) are made and then further converted into a series 3 Prostaglandin (a very active hormone like substance). This prostaglandin helps to decrease the stickiness of our blood, helps to lower cholesterol, decrease inflammation, helps our skin, helps us grow, helps us to produce energy, helps brain functioning, increase our immune system functioning etc etc etc. Simply, the more converted the chemical becomes, the more biologically active it becomes.
We now head into the ocean! (stay with me – all will become clear) Plankton for example contains a lot of alpha-linolenic acid. Small fish eat the plankton and start converting the alpha-linolenic acid into EPA and DHA. Big fish then come along and eat the small fish hence taking their EPA and DHA and produce more EPA and DHA themselves and so on all the way up through the food chain to seals (and I suppose Eskimos!). So when we eat fish we get alpha-linolenic acid and some already converted EPA and DHA. When we eat organic flax seed we get probably the best non animal source of alpha-linolenic acid but no EPA or DHA. So what does this all mean?
Well, simply put, when we eat organic flax seed our bodies have to convert the alpha-linolenic acid through all its conversion steps to finally get our needed prostaglandin. When we eat fish oils, we only have to convert the last bit as we are getting the intermediary chemicals EPA and DHA already formed. Therefore, we have to consume more organic flaxseed than oily fish in order to get the same levels of our needed prostaglandin. There is no difference in the quality of end product however, so like I have previously mentioned in my blog, the benefit of eating the organic flax seed is that you get the extra minerals it contains, you get the flax seed fibre and you don’t have the taste of fish. So call me biased, but organic flax seed edges fish oils out in my opinion due to the extra benefits.
