Dear Fit,
I never eat fish, so I worry about getting enough omega-3s. Before I start taking supplements, I wanted to know which is the better choice, flaxseed oil or fish oil capsules?
—Unsure About Omegas
I'm glad you're focusing on getting enough omega-3s, since this essential fatty acid is so beneficial to our health. These fats have anti-inflammatory and mood-stabilizing properties, can relieve chronic pain, have been found to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke, and can lower cholesterol. To find out which capsules are the better choice, read more.
In order to answer this question, we need to go over the three types of omega-3s:
Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): Necessary for physical and mental health, this type is found primarily in fish and fish oil.
Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): Especially important to your body and necessary for various bodily functions involving your brain, blood vessels, and immune system. It's found in shellfish, fish, and fish oil.
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA): This is the only omega-3 found in plants like flaxseeds, canola, soy, hemp seed, walnuts, and enhanced foods. When you consume ALA, your body converts it into EPA and then eventually into DHA.
Fish oil capsules contain both EPA and DHA, and flaxseed oil capsules contain ALA. Even though our bodies convert ALA into DHA and EPA, it's more beneficial to your body to consume EPA and DHA directly. If you have nothing against eating fish products, I'd opt for the fish oil capsules and look for the USP seal when shopping for supplements. One dose will only fulfill about half of your RDI of omega-3s though, so think about getting the rest from foods such as fish, flaxseeds, and walnuts.
Liz Claiborne
Karen Walker
My-Wardrobe.com
Good info - thanks for this.
1I just started taking fish oil this week. Thanks for the info!
2what about taking both?
3good info!! thanks, Fit!
4Great post. The only meat I eat is fish, but I also take Omega 3-6-9 and flax seeds (but not in the oil form, I actually buy the seeds and put them in my salad or oatmeal).
5I take fish oil pills...good to know that they're more usable than the flax oil.
6This is great info. I take fish oil supplements daily as well as put ground flax seeds on my cereal in the morning.
7just thought i'd leave a comment in case anyone is wanting to take these and has the same common allergy that i do.. soy. if you have an allergy to soy, or really any type of food allergy, be sure to check the ingredients. some omega 3 capsules contain soy. i never thought to look and was not feeling so great while taking mine. turns out it was because it had soy.
8alphaxigirl07 - good point!
9I found this site to be helpful too:
http://www.fishcapsules.com/dha-vs-epa.html
-Alex
10What about DHA algal oil omega 3 supplements? It's vegetarian (comes from sea vegetables / algae) yet is a DHA-based omega 3 rather than an ALA one.
11(btw, I believe some of "Rachel's" brand yogurts contain DHA algal oil supplements)
12This is a very informative post. EPA fish oil is good for health in a number of ways. It mainly takes care of the brain. It controls depression both during and after pregnancy. It also builds the motor skills of the unborn child while still in the mother’s womb. EPA fish oil is thus very effective in passing the messages between the nerve cells of the brain.
13There's also a 100% vegetarian DHA for those of you who do not want a fish-based supplement. David Kirsch carries one.
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