Fish Oil Vs Flax Seed Oil
Health conscious people now all know about the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, which play numerous roles in the body....for heart health, for brain health, for skin health, and so much more.
However, it is also known that there are many sources for omega 3 fatty acids, and since our bodies don't manufacture it, we need to obtain omega 3's from the foods we eat.
This has led to the fish oil vs flax seed oil debate.
You see, flax seed oil is rich in omega 3's just as fish oils are. So, to answer the question about flax oil vs fish oil, we need to dig a little deeper....because there is not always a clear-cut answer.
Flax oil vs Fish oil
First, the type of omega 3's vary in each. In flax seed oil, the omega 3's come in the form of ALA.
In fish oils, they come in the form of DHA and EPA.
ALA needs to be converted by the body into DHA and EPA. This conversion does not always happen easily or smoothly for people, particularly those people with less than optimal health....which often includes elderly folk.
For this reason, many (including us here) argue that high quality fish oils are are a better source of omega 3's than flax seed oil because you are getting DHA and EPA directly without need for conversion.
Fish Oil Vs Flax Seed Oil
If that were all to the debate it would be an open and shut case, but it's not.
You see, almost all of the fish that is used to produce fish oil is contaminated because the vast majority of Ocean waters in the world suffer varying levels of pollutants. This is why the FDA advocates a limited consumption of fish, especially certain kinds of fish where toxins can more readily accumulate in the flesh of the fish.
Therefore, if the choice were flax oil vs fish oil that wasn't purified (as some aren't), then we would definitely opt for flax seed oil rather than fish oils that harbor such toxins as mercury.
To obtain only the benefits of fish oil while guarding against all of the potential contaminants, you should do three things:
- Buy a product that sources its fish from only pristine waters.
- Buy only a product that uses the process of molecular distillation, which will remove any existing impurities.
- Buy only a product that uses a fish source that is naturally high in DHA and EPA (not all are).
Having said all of this, don't take our opinion on the fish oil vs flax seed oil to mean that you shouldn't use flax seed oil at all.
ALA does serve some other functions in the body and therefore it's probably a wise idea to get at least some of your omega 3's from plant and nut sources.
The highly purified fish oil that we ourselves comes from Pristine waters off the coast of New Zealand, is molecularly distilled, and is naturally high in both DHA and EPA.
Visit: Best Omega 3 Fish Oils to learn more |
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