I bought Protein Power and was reading it last night. Since my primary interest at this point is learning more about LC and the body and not the plan itself (I'll look at that later) I started with Part Three - "Why this plan will leave you healthy and thin"

It has been extremely informative and presents the science behind LC very solidly - just as others have said it did.

But there appears to be a big difference between Atkins and the Eades regarding flaxseed oil. I think I see where the difference might have come from and wanted to get the input from the experienced LC'ers on what you thought. I should point out that Protein Power was published in 1996 and there seems to be quite a bit of new information out there that has come out since then. So a big part of this post is to ask for what the latest word is (I'll be interested to see if the Eades have changed any of their recommendations in PPLP when I get a copy of it).

I'm sure some of you know where I am going with this.

Everyone in the LC world pretty much seems to agree as to the value of omega-3 fatty acid. So far so good.

So how does one get this fatty-acid? The main sources I have identified thus far seem to be cold water fish oils (EPA and DHA)and flaxseed oil (ALA). All well and good.

Dr. A uses flaxseed oil in his essential oils supplement and Udo Erasmus uses it as the primary component in his foul tasting Udo's Blend. My guess is probably because flaxseed is the most economical source for obtaining large quantities of a suitable oil. Again, so far so good.

Now for the catch - there's always a catch.

The Eades point out that ALA has a very negative impact on the Eicosanoid Synthesis Process and that flaxseed oil, which is 57% ALA) should be avoided at all costs. They even recommend avoiding Canola oil (10% ALA dispite very high - 60% - monounsaturates) because of the ALA or at least being scrupulous about avoiding trans-fatty acids, keeping up your protein and getting EPA into your diet.

The most recent stuff I have been finding seems to be touting the benefits of ALA.

So should someone avoid flaxseed oil - as recommended by the Eades in PP - or should they embrace it - as Atkins and Erasmus do?

Bill, as you pointed out PP was published back in 1995. The Eades reversed their decision on ALA and Flax in PPLP. You can read more about this here:

Flax and PP

Nat

Thanks Nat, I read the links you provided. While it's nice that everyone is again on the same page, I an anxious to find out why they reversed their position - which means I will have to get PPLP sooner than I probably would have otherwise.

I'm hoping that they don't change their tune on the gateway inhibitor effect of ALA - doing so would call into question a lot of their basic scientific explanations. Instead, I hope that they have just concluded that the benefits outweight the disadvantages.

Bill, I had the very same question about 6 months ago.

As I had it explained to me:

Although the series II eicosanoids (maybe unfairly called bad), are needed as well as the series I, it is the exagerate production of series II what is referred as detrimental. Not that series II are unwanted, on the contrary, they are very much needed when inflammatory processes must take place, but too much is not good. The reason why both books recommend to increase omega-3 fats consumption is to compensate the ratio omega-6 to omega-3 and bring it back to what it should be (2:1 instead of 20:1).

The problem with ALA -- and its high content in flaxseed oil (an Omega-3 oil) -- is that the fatty acid inhibits the production of delta-6-desaturase, the critical enzyme that converts linoleic acid (in borage, evening primrose, and black currant Omega-6 oils) into GLA, precursor to the "metabolically activated" fatty-acid building block of eicosanoids, DGLA.

This "blocking" action occurs in much the same way that EPA in fish oil (also an Omega-3), in a positive way, blocks some of the action of the enzyme responsible for converting activated fatty acids (DGLAs) into arachidonic acid, the building block of "bad" eicosanoids.

The reason why both books recommend increasing omega-3 fats consumption is to compensate the ratio omega-6 to omega-3. The intake of already converted products like EPA and DHA is encouraged due to the "inhibiting" effects of ALA. For those who can't/won't eat animal products (fish), then flax seed oil provides us with omega-3 fats that we wouldn't get otherwise.

HTH,
Nat

Nat you are incredible. You got through that entire thread with out drawing breath.

I am just off to Biochemistry 101 and will take your post for detailed study.

In my simple mind the Omega 3's are the good guys in the white hats and the Omega 6's are the bad guys with mean faces.

If I understand you, we need more of the good guys to counteract the bad guys. But in our general diet you can't get one without the other ( Love and marriage?) and flax seed oil has a better number of good guys.

So a win for flax seed oil.

Fish oils are also good but a few less good guys in this particular posse. But you missed the import thing. Fish oil tastes of oily fish and hangs around like Moby Dick on a rope.

So a win win for flax oil.

But, and I don't think this has been mentioned yet. Flax seeds contain Lignans.

Most formulas leave it out. But you can buy it with. Lignans are thought to be the cancer preventative substance in high fiber foods. Flax seeds are the richest source, a hundred times greater than wheat germ. Mexican women, who have a diet high in lignans, have much less breast cancer than black or white women. Likewise, it is known that giving laboratory primates cancer is difficult because of the lignan content of their food.

So a win win win for flax seed oil with Lignans.

However I am off to have a Kipper for my supper.

Rustpot, now I'm scared!



It's more a case that we need them both - neither one or the other is good/bad - but we have to have them in the correct balance. And that balance is seriously out of whack. If you have too much w6 you run the risk of developing certain problems (diseases) and if you have too much w3 you run the risk of developing certain other problems as well. Udo does a pretty good job of explaining this. Supplementing with oils rich in w3 is done to correct the balance, at which time we can switch to something that is more balanced.

Lignans - now this is something I'm going to have to do some research on!

Nat

Nat, just got back from class and handed your post in for homework and got an "A"

Looked in the Library and:

lignans Organic Chemistry. plant products of low molecular weight, representing the dimer intermediate between monomeric propylphenol and lignin; formed mainly by oxidative linking of p-hydroxyphenylpropene units, which may be bridged with oxygen.

I know you knew you knew that, you can't kid me.

rustspot.....you can get EPA oil in capsule form...no fishy taste going down. Just don't burp for an hour after you take it...YUCK! I hate fish to start with, but I take the EPA oil capsules because they're so good for me. I also eat a homemade version of flax-o-meal for breakfast, so I hope I'm getting the best of both worlds. Question, though...do you have to grind the flax seeds to get the benefit from them? I like the crunch and texture that they add to the cereal whole, but will grind them if it makes the cereal better for me.

For my fellow brits, Flax is better known as Linseed over here.

Its the best for oiling your cricket bat.

Capsules and raw seed available in Holland and Barrett.