Active Low-Carber Forums - Flaxseed vs Fish Body Oil (constipation, heart disease, cancer, arthritis)

I know I posted in another thread about how Eades recommends fish body oil over flaxseed. I couldn't remember why though. I hate that. I just got my very own, non-borrowed copy of Protein Power, and although I can't find the original thread, thought I'd put some quotes on the book out here in case anyone's interested. (I didn't find this info in the Atkin's New Diet Revolution - I was surprised to see he recommends flax seed.):

(Pages 331-332) "Eicosanoids . . . a gang of at least 100 powerful hormonelike substances that control virtually all physiological actions in your body. The most important thing about eicosanoids is to keep them in balance. If you have to little of one, too much of another, eicosanoids can send your body hurtling down the slippery slope of biochemical evil toward arthritis, blood clots, and dozens of other dangers conditions. In fact, they play a major role in most diseases, including heart disease and cancer . . .

The exciting thing about eicosanoids is that you can control these powerful agents simply by making the right food choices . . .

The bad news is that many things we can't exert much control over - aging, viral illnesses, and stress to name a few - drive our body's production of eicosanoids in the wrong direction . . .

(Page 343-344) Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) . . . this omega -3 fatty acid found in the oils of various plants also slows down the gatekeeper. Canola oil (10% ALA), flaxseed or linseed oil (57% ALA), black current oil (14% ALA), and soybean oil (7% ALA) are its primary sources. To avoid undermining your body's production of good eicosanoids, you need to minimize your consumption of the oils containing ALA . . . If you just can't bring yourself to abandon canola oil, you can offset the negative effects of the ALA by scrupulously avoiding trans fatty acids and carbohydrate excess and by keeping your protein intake up . . . No so, however, with flaxseed oil - a reputed panacea for a variety of disorders - tout as one of its virtues its ability to help relieve the pain and inflammation of arthritis. Aspirin . . . works through an indiscriminate blocking of eicosanoid production, both good and bad, and that the shift away from so many bad ones eases the pain, but at the expense of potentially unpleasant side effects. By virtue of its high ALA content, flaxseed oil is a sort of biological version of aspirin: it blocks the synthesis of all eicosanoids, giving some relief to arthritis victims in the short run . . . if it gives relief . . . flaxseed oil [would be] OK . . . if it were the only means available to afoord relief . . . but it's like using a nine-pound hammer to kill a fly: it kills the fly, but it does a lot of other damage, too.

(Pages 355-356) Remember, EPA works in the same way as glucagon to drive eicosanoid production in the good direction, so if you're following your insulin-lowering, glucagon-enhancing diet and not getting quite the results you expect, you can boost glucagon's efforts with EPA. To increase your consumption of EPA . . . you can take fish oil capsules. The standard dose of EPA in the typical fish oil capsule is 180mg . . . to get enough EPA to achieve results, you will need to take at least four to six capsules a day." Note: Dr. Sears OmegaRX capsules have an EPA of 400

(Page 356) "One easy way to monitor how you're doing is to notice your bowel movement frequency and composition. Good eicosanoids tend to increase the flow of water into the colon, whereas bad eicosanoids . . . end to reduce water flow into the colon. The more water in the colon, the looser the stools. If you're constipated, you probably need a little more EPA . . . another bowel sign that reveals your eicosanoid balance is whether your stools float or sink. "

So, just thought I'd throw this out there in case anyone is trying to decide between flaxseed or fish body oil!!