Vegan Omega-3

[Michael Benis]

Yes, I also like hempseed oil Particualry the organic Yorkshire hemp growers oil, which is not only good value for money but excellent quality and wonderful green colour, with a great falvour thats splendind on salads.....

For those who want supplements, Water4life are doing a 3 for 2 offer at the monent: http://www.water4.net/index.htm

Cheers

Mike

[rianaelf]

good, im glad u like it
i use Yaoh's which is lovely and also very good value!!

[nervine]

After doing some research I decided to put 2 tablespoons of flaxseed in my daily smoothie. That way it gets freshly grinded, the seeds don't go off as fast as the oil and it adds a nice aftertaste. Let's see if that helps with my excema.

[eco]

A question for Michael and j&k as you two seem very knowledgeable on the subject - I take a flax oil supplement which I've been told is a good source of ALA which we can convert to EPA and am now starting to take an algae supplement for DHA. I would like to know if that is the best way of getting both EPA and DHA as I've read that using flax oil alone is not good enough and some sources say the conversion is very poor. Is it true that we get good conversion from flax from ALA to EPA? Does taking the algae supplement affect the conversion to EPA from the flax? I want to be sure that I'm getting good sources of both DHA and EPA. Hope all that makes sense!

[j&k]

You are certainly getting to the heart of the debate that Mike and I have been having. So, I will give you my answer, and Mike may have a somewhat different answer for you.

I think if you are already taking a preformed dha supplement, the flax oil is not necessary nor ideal. The preformed DHA will certainly take care of the DHA component, which is the one that is of more concern from a conversion standpoint. Some of the DHA will also be converted into EPA. I do recommend taking one tablespoon of ground flax a day (ground flax should be stored in your refrigerator). Also, walnuts are a particularly good source of ALA. I suggest eating one to two ounces of raw nuts or seeds and/or some avocado for getting your ALA (which will also be converted to EPA, and to a lesser extent, DHA). IF you are active and skinny, you can increase the nut/seed/avocado intake.

By doing this, you should be able to achieve optimal DHA and EPA. Also, keep in mind that you should limit fat intake that comes from omega 6's.

Best,
Josh

[Michael Benis]

Hi there!

No real disagreement ehre. The conversion of DHA to EPA is not really understood a great deal better than the conversion of EPA to DHA. Normally EPA to DHA conversion is referred to as retroconversion since it is assumed that without direct DHA supplemention things would go ALA -> EPA -> DHA. What Josh says is quite correct though, this conversion does take place, seemingly at higher rates than the other direction.

The rates of conversion of ALA -> EPA -> DHA at the end in particular are not high percentages but should be adequate if one is eating a good balanced diet without too many omega-6 vs omega-3 oils. Think of subsituting hemp or rapeseed or walnut oils for sunflower and sesame oils - or even soya oil in salad dressings. Olive oil is neutral as far as the omega balance goes, but is good for frying or making sauces. Keeping frying down is also a good idea, though, for your general health. Eating the actual nuts and seeds is of course also a good idea. I'm not a massive fan of flax, personally.

That said, from your question it sounds as if you would rather be safe and take a supplement. The safest course would then be to take a supplement containing an appropriate mix of EPA and DHA together, such as the vegan water4life supplement (they are doing a 3 for 2 special offer until the end of October - see post and link above).

If you are not in good health, however, all the usual provisos apply: see your doctor!

Cheers

Mike

[eco]

Thank you both very much for your replies, you've both been very helpful

[littlewinker]

udo's choice oil!

udo's oil udo'soil udo's oil!!!!!

it tastes lovely on toast and peas and anywhere else you would put butter

and its vegan and it's genuinely lovely!

[DonQuinoa]

Yes Udo's Udo's - but as discussed earlier ion this thread Hemp oil offers a similar mix of omega 3 and 6 and is 1/2 - 1/3 of the price of Udo's oil

As also previously discussed it also doesn't have any pure DHA and EPA which can be obtained from Algae

[soilman]

Pumpkin seeds. And as mentioned before flax seed or flax seed oil, walnuts or walnut oil.

[Shrapnel]

I just had to comment that of all nutrients, Omega-3 is one of my favorites, at least for its name. It sounds vaguely ominous, like something a Bond villain would use, as in "And if my demands are not met by tomorrow at noon, Mr Prime Minister, then i shall enact Project Omega-3."

[veggiemaya]

so the other day i was in the health food store buying more flax seed oil and the owner showed me that Barlean's came out with a flavored Omega-3 flax oil supplement!! I didn't try it because it was a bit more money than i had planned on spending. (gotta love that U.S. economy nowadays! phf!) anyway.... i also wanted to look in to it a bit more just to be sure that it is in fact a vegan product.

so i checked out the website and noticed that one of the ingredients is glycerin. so i decided to email the company to ask whether or not it was a vegetable or animal form of glycerin. this was the response..

Hello Jill,
Thank you for contacting us! The glycerin is Palm Oil based---our Strawberry Banana Swirl is 100% vegetarian.
Best of Health,
Alene

i realize that it is vegetarian..but my email did mention that i was vegan, and she didn't exactly confirm that it is 100% vegan. is there a non vegan ingredient i am missing??

[harpy]

Veggiemaya - they probably don't know the difference between vegan and vegetarian - sigh. Not very reassuring, but you could write back politely explaining the difference and asking her to confirm whether it is in fact vegan. Then they'll know the next time!

lol at Shrapnel.

[AliBlack]

My doc today said it's hard to get Omega if if you're vegan, I thought she was probably wrong, useful to read this section

[Cumin]

Grrr.... She's probably been reading this government site..

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/asksam/hea...rians/?lang=en

It says: "Are there any vegetarian sources of the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish?
Some omega 3 fatty acids are found in certain vegetable oils, such as linseed, flaxseed, walnut and rapeseed, but they aren't the same type of fatty acids found in fish.
The omega 3 fatty acids in fish have been shown to help protect against coronary heart disease.
But evidence suggests that the type of fatty acids found in vegetable sources may not have the same benefits as those in fish. "

I've written to ask what evidence this was. They shouldn't go giving broad knock-downs like that on a government website without references.

[Manzana]

so, did they tell you where the evidence was?

[Cumin]

I got a very long reply. I've not managed to digest it yet, but you can all read it for yourselves :

Thank you for your reply and request for further information.

We are aware of the Hooper et al 2006 BMJ paper “Risks and benefits of
omega 3 fats for mortality, cardiovascular disease and cancer: systematic
review.” that you have highlighted.

Hooper et al (2006) pooled results from various studies and included
results from a trial by Burr et al (2003) in their analysis. The Scientific
Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) expressed concern about the Burr et
al study due to serious weaknesses in its design that reduced the
reliability of the data. Study design issues include a 12 month
interruption due to funding problems and that compliance to fish advice was
only assessed in a small subgroup of participants. Hooper et al state in
their discussion that when results from the Burr et al (2003) study were
removed from the analysis, the association with fish oil and risk of death
was lost. In the 2004 joint SACN/COT report entitled ‘Advice on fish
consumption: benefits and risks’, the evidence on the benefits of omega 3
fatty acids and cardiovascular disease (CVD) was reviewed. SACN excluded
Burr et al study from their review, due to the unreliability of the data.

Oily fish is the richest source of long chain polyunsaturated omega 3 fatty
acids (LCPUFA). Current recommendations by SACN are that we should eat two
portions of fish a week, one of which should be oily. This would provide
3.2g/week or 0.45g/day LCPUFA.

There is strong evidence for a beneficial effect of LCPUFA consumption on
CVD mortality. LCPUFA have been shown to reduce the reoccurrence of
cardiovascular disease, which is thought to be via anti arrhythmic effects.
Additionally fish oil supplements have been shown to have a variety of
beneficial effects on risk factors for CVD including blood triglyceride
levels, vascular function, and inflammation.

Other evidence from expert panel reports, such as the World Health
Organisation 2003 report in to Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of
Chronic Diseases support The Agency’s position that the type of fatty acids
found in vegetable sources may not have the same benefits as those in fish.
WHO (2003) looked at the strength of evidence for various dietary and
lifestyle factors and risk of developing cardiovascular disease and
concluded that the evidence for fish and fish oils was more convincing than
the evidence for alpha linolenic acid (ALA).

The FSA ALA workshop (Sanderson 2002), discussed studies on ALA and its
effects on cardiovascular risk factors. The 2002 workshop report concluded
that no consistent benefits were observed from ALA supplementation on the
cardiovascular risk factors of; vascular function, blood lipids, blood
clotting or immune function and that the effects observed with fish-oil
supplementation were not replicated by ALA supplementation.

The reason that the short chain omega 3 fatty acids found in vegetable
sources may not have the same benefits as those in fish is due to the
limited ability to convert them to the longer forms in the human body.
Williams and Burdge (2006) reviewed the evidence for the conversion process
and concluded that ALA can be converted and elongated in humans to EPA and
DHA however the capacity of this pathway appears to be limited, especially
for DHA. Additionally it is uncertain whether converted levels of long
chain omega 3 from typical dietary intakes of ALA are sufficient to
influence cardiovascular health.

Whilst the Agency acknowledges that vegetarians do not eat fish and that
they may have to rely on supplements to obtain certain nutrients, the best
source of long chain omega 3 fatty acids in the diet is oily fish.
Therefore, our recommendations need to reflect this.

Then Agency will continue to monitor any emerging evidence in this area and
update out advice on our website accordingly.

Yours sincerely
<name removed>


References:
Hooper L, Thompson RL, Harrison RA, Summerbell CD, Ness AR, Moore HJ,
Worthington HV, Durrington PN, Higgins JP, Capps NE, Riemersma RA, Ebrahim
SB, Davey Smith G. (2006) Risks and benefits of omega 3 fats for mortality,
cardiovascular disease, and cancer: systematic review. BMJ. 332(7544
):752-60.

Burr ML, Ashfield-Watt PA, Dunstan FD, Fehily AM, Breay P, Ashton T, et al.
(2003) Lack of benefit of dietary advice to men with angina: results of a
controlled trial. Eur J Clin Nutr 57: 193-200

Joint SACN/COT report (2004) ‘Advice on fish consumption: benefits and
risks’

World Health Organisation (2003) report on Diet, Nutrition and the
Prevention of Chronic Diseases

Sanderson (2002) UK Food Standards Agency alpha-linolenic acid workshop
report. British Journal of Nutrition 88; 573-79

Williams and Burdge (2006) in Long-chain n-3 PUFA: plant vs. marine
sources. Proceedings of the nutrition society 65:42-50.

[harpy]

Thanks for posting. It's interesting they don't say anything about the algae supplements, particularly the Water4life one that contains EPA and DHA.

[Gorilla]

i bought a bottle of vegan DHA capsules from Veganstore which at £29.99 are much more than i spend on flaxseed capsules. i'm going to take them for now and see if i can sense any discernible difference, although i'm aware that they may be generally better for me without me being able to feel any benefit.

[DonQuinoa]

probably better off with V-Pure with DHA and EPA at only about £15

Any thing imported from America is with tons of tax added unless you buy it from America and dodge customs but then you have to pay postage anyway

[Gorilla]

oh god it's all too confusing!

[clementine]

Yes Udo's Udo's - but as discussed earlier ion this thread Hemp oil offers a similar mix of omega 3 and 6 and is 1/2 - 1/3 of the price of Udo's oil

As also previously discussed it also doesn't have any pure DHA and EPA which can be obtained from Algae

I currently use Udo's Oil but I think I'll try hemp oil... the cost is putting me in debt lol.

[Manzana]

Hi Clementine,
My understanding is that there is no point in using oils that are already balanced (like Udo's oil) since overall we need to achieve more or less 1:3 omega 3 to omega 6 ratio from ALL the food that we eat...

The same applies to Hemp oil... it is lovely oil but not particularly good to increase the omega 3 to omega 6 ratio... it is a neutral oil since it has the right ratio but does not boost your omega 3s more than the omega 6s.

That's my 2 cents... if you want more, there is plenty of info on this thread and also in the web...

[Quantum Mechanic]

How do pumpkin seeds compare with flax and hemp? (have read the whole thread but don't remember)

[Manzana]

very similar scenario. Pumpkin seeds are nice and I am sure good for plenty of things but neutral so won't help you increase omega 3 to omega 6 intake...

Flax or supplements from algae are the only sources to add to your omega 3s with respect to omega 6s.

[vegetarian_cat]

I add a dessertspoon of flaxseed oil to my daily vege juice, and can't even taste the oil. I guess the carrots and celery cloak any oil taste, and it is all omega3.

I never thought of that!
that's a great idea!

and do you make the veggie juice yourself or is there a brand you buy?

[chico]

Hi y'all, I have a question for you. Sorry if this has been said already, I didn't have the time to search for it and will be happy to erase my post if it has. I understand that a high intake of omega 6 can mess up the aborption / transformation of omega 3. So what if one cuts down on the intake of rich omega 6 oils and replaces these instead with omega 9 rich oils, like olive oil, and use them for cooking when one can't use omega 3 rich oils, for instances? Do omega 9 or any other fatty acid families (if any) also mess up with the metabolism of omega 3?

[wendy]

DHA Deficiency Linked to Parkinson's (Source: Dr Fuhrman Newsletter)
Leaders of the Vegan Movement Develop Parkinson's: Case Studies
Herbert Shelton (1895 - 1985) a naturopath and chiropractor and the influential founder of the American Natural Hygiene Society and Nature Cure movement in America and prolific health writer advocated a natural food vegetarian diet of mostly raw fruits, vegetables and nuts. I read all of his highly motivating books, newsletters and writings in my teens. He lived in Texas, was physically fit, grew lots of his own food and ate carefully and fasted periodically. Of course he did not get cancer, he did not get heart disease, but he died of Parkinson's disease and was so severely affected by the age of 78 that even walking was difficult. In 1973 when I met him he was already severely hunched over and had a difficult time walking and caring for himself. Though he lived many years with this significant disability, the quality of his later years was extremely poor.
Prominent Vegetarian and Health Advocate - this leader in the natural health movement and a personal friend to me also suffered from and eventually died from a fall related to his Parkinson's disease. During his young adult life he embarked on the path of healthy living and vegetarianism. A follower of Shelton's works, he operated a large health food store, one of the first to sell organic fruits and vegetables in America; he became a leader in the health food industry. Of course he was not at risk of cancer or heart disease with his excellent diet, but he developed Parkinson's which limited the quality of his later years.
When he was developing his Parkinsonian tremors, I ordered blood tests and was shocked to see his blood results showing almost a zero DHA level on his fatty acid test, in spite of adequate ALA consumption from nuts and seeds eaten daily. I had never seen a DHA level that low before. Since that time I have drawn DHA blood levels on other patients with Parkinson's and also found very low DHA levels.
Was it a coincidence, that these leaders in the natural food, vegetarian movement, who ate a very healthy vegan diet and no junk food would both develop Parkinson's? I thought to myself--could it be that deficiencies in DHA predispose one to Parkinson's? Do men have worse ability to convert short chain omega-3 into long chain DHA? Is that why Parkinson's affects more men than women? Is there evidence to suggest that DHA deficiencies lead to later life neurologic problems? Are there primate studies to show DHA deficiencies in monkeys leads to Parkinson's? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding, yes.

More than 1 million Americans suffer from Parkinson's Disease (PD), a neurodegenerative disease that is clinically characterized by resting tremor, muscular rigidity, gait problems and impaired ability to initiate movements. Recent scientific findings show diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids, in particular DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), have a protective effect on this type of neurodegenerative disease. Studies in animals clearly show that supplementation of DHA can alter brain DHA concentrations and thereby modify brain functions leading to reduced risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.1
A recent study examined mice which were exposed to two diets; one group was fed a diet with DHA and other omega-3 fatty acids; while the other group was given ordinary food, lacking DHA. After a period of time they were given a dose of a chemical that causes the same damage to the brain as Parkinson's disease. The mice on the DHA diet seemed to be immune to the effects of the chemical, whereas the mice that ate ordinary food developed symptoms of the disease.
According to the researchers, among the mice that had been given omega-3 supplementation - in particular DHA - omega-3 fatty acids replaced the omega-6 fatty acids in their brains. Due to the fact that concentrations of other omega-3s (LNA and EPA) had maintained levels in both groups of mice, the researchers suggested that the protective effect against Parkinson's indeed came from DHA.2 Another conclusion drawn from this finding is that a brain containing a lot of omega-6 fatty acids may create a fertile ground for developing Parkinson's disease. These fatty acids, are abundant in foods rich in either vegetable oil or animal fat, which we already know contribute negatively to our health.
Another study observed the effect of DHA on monkeys treated with MPTP, a drug that induces Parkinson's like symptoms, and the results suggested that DHA can reduce the severity of, or delay the development of these drug-induced symptoms and therefore can offer therapeutic benefits in the treatment of Parkinson's. 3
Overall, this research provides evidence that DHA deficiencies can leave us vulnerable to developing diseases like Parkinson's and Alheizmer's. If you are a nutritarian, flexitarain, vegan, or vegetarian and you are not taking DHA or confirming your levels are adequate with blood work you are being negligent, and potentially increasing your risk of such a disease in later life. All the good efforts on proper nutrition can be undone with one deficiency such as Vitamin D, B12, or DHA. I see this every week in my practice.
History Repeats Itself
Some authors, doctors and leaders of the vegan movement today are heavily biased towards the idea of not needing these supplements. They simply give inadequate nutritional advice and in spite of all the science they still pooh-pooh taking long-chain omega-3 DHA. They are risking the quality of their own lives and that of their followers.
Likewise, I have seen so many vegan-promoting doctors and authors negate the need for taking B12, as well as dismiss the need to take vitamin D, stating minimal sunshine is enough. They also deny the need for omega-3 supplementation. There is so much scientific literature available today pointing to the contrary, however, this irresponsible information keeps radiating from the podium of lecture halls.
It reminds me of all the statements in the past, that the need for B12 was exaggerated and that the small amount of bacteria on organic produce or in seaweed was sufficient.
TC Fry (1926 - 1996)- another long-term Natural Hygienist, raw foodest, vegetarian-fruitarian, advocated you did not need supplements as food contained all that we need. He died of an atherosclerotic-related embolism at the age of 70. I saw his hospital record at his death and reviewed his blood work drawn immediately prior to his death. It was quite revealing. He had severe B12, deficiency, so long-standing that his B12 levels were almost undetectable and the lowest I have ever seen. It is kind of interesting reading internet interpretations of why he died, such as "did not practice what he preached," "cheated on his diet," "too much sex," "ozone treatments for his vascular disease". He died prematurely simply because long-standing B12 deficiency leads to extremely high homocysteine levels, which can cause intra-vascular inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
I have seen this over and over again in vegans not supplementing with B12. I even had a patient with extremely severe hyper-homocysteinemia and vascular disease who flew in to see me from Scandinavia. When I diagnosed the problem and discussed how to solve it, she still refused to take the B12 supplements, stating that Dr. Shelton and Dr. Vetrano said that nature provided us with all that we need in natural plant foods. She flew home angry that I disagreed. She died soon after.
Don't be fooled into thinking that by merely eating right you are doing all you can do to protect your health. People must be made aware that by neglecting to take the supplements that are essential to assuring nutritional excellence, they are putting themselves in harm's way. Specifically, not taking DHA, B12 and vitamin D can be potentially dangerous and even life threatening.
Dr. Fuhrman's DHA Purity is a pure, fresh, all vegan, concentrated liquid. This DHA is derived from algae grown under sanitary laboratory conditions.
1Calon F ; Cole G Neuroprotective action of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids against neurodegenerative diseases: evidence from animal studies. Prostaglandins Leukot Essent Fatty Acids. 2007; 77(5-6):287-93
2M. Bousquet, M. Saint-Pierre, C. Julien , N. Salem, Jr., F. Cicchetti and F. Calon Beneficial effects of dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid on toxin-induced neuronal degeneration in an animal model of Parkinson's disease
The FASEB Journal. 2008;22:1213-1225.
3 Samadi P ; Grégoire L ; Rouillard C ; Bédard PJ ; Di Paolo T ; Lévesque D Docosahexaenoic acid reduces levodopa-induced dyskinesias in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine monkeys. Ann Neurol. 2006; 59(2):282-8


[/SIZE]
DrFuhrman.com

4 Walter E. Foran Blvd
Suite 408
Flemington, NJ
08822

[chico]

How ironic is it that mice should be sacrified because of all of this

[Prawnil]

Number 1 reason not to take a professional's advice seriously: They're selling you the solution.

Not to say that vegans shouldn't look very seriously into dietary risk factors for neurodegenerative disease, they should, just not using someone directly advertising the solution in their own name as a source.
MPTP is grim arse stuff.

[Daffodil]

is linseed the same as flax seed do you know?

[chico]

I didn't even know you could check for blood DHA status. I think this is a very important issue and one which lacks serious research. The Vegan Society has stated this for as long as I can remember:

"Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), two non-essential PUFAs, do not generally occur in vegan diets. The human body can convert alpha-linolenic acid into EPA and DHA but, even so some of the body tissues of vegans contain less DHA and EPA than those of other dietary groups. The consequences of this difference, if any, are not known."


Whilst there is definetly enough research on vitamin D and B12 to tell us that these are sensitive issues on a vegan diet, unfortunatly the omega 3 issue is still rather fuzzy.

I hope for the day vegan EPA and DHA sources (from algal oil) will be widely available to everyone.

Even though the author of that article is selling his own stuff he says some interesting stuff, nonetheless, and shouldn't be dismissed just like that. I don't necessarily agree with all he says, but there's some interesting info, if taken with a pinch of salt.

[Manzana]

I hope for the day vegan EPA and DHA sources (from algal oil) will be widely available to everyone.

They are already widely available... I have some in my fridge...

[chico]

haha maybe you're just a priviledged brit

[wendy]

widely available, but only on the net

[sandra]

If it's true that only marine sources of Omega 3 are effective what about all the omnivores who don't get omega 3 from say eating fish?
Surely, there would be a significant number of them developing these illnesses.
There are sufficient dietary sources of omega 3 for vegans and to be honest I think this new idea that it has to be from a marine source is just another money making scheme.

[chico]

There are sufficient dietary sources of omega 3 for vegans and to be honest I think this new idea that it has to be from a marine source is just another money making scheme.

Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not sure what you're talking about. Nobody mentioned omega 3 in general, we're discussing DHA (and to a certain extent EPA) which are specific forms of omega 3 which are only produced by algae. ALA of course is produced by many plants but it is not well known if certain humans can effectively convert it to DHA or EPA, the other omega 3 PUFAs. I suggest you read carefully.
No, it's not just another money making scheme. There is a lot of money to be made out of it, of course, but that shoudn't dismiss it as it is an extremely important subject, and one that we lack knowledge about.

If it's true that only marine sources of Omega 3 are effective

Its besides the point if they're marine or terrestrial, or extra-terrestrial

what about all the omnivores who don't get omega 3 from say eating fish?
Surely, there would be a significant number of them developing these illnesses.

That on the other hand is a good point, and I was just thinking about that. Do inuits develop parkinson disease?

[Manzana]

haha maybe you're just a priviledged brit

I am not a Brit, I am Spanish... but in any case, everyone on this forum seems to have internet so they'd be widely available to them too.

[chico]

You're kinda right... assuming one is willing to pay for postal fees, and has a credit card, and so and so... anyway, whatever. So is that what you meant in the first place? Did you buy yours off the internet or in a shop?

Still my wish still remains: I wish this would be widely available for everyone everywhere, in the whole world

[Manzana]

I bought mine of the internet (and paid postage fees).

I am not convinced that they are necessary but feel a little bit that better safe than sorry...

In any case, in many places of the world they have other serious issues to worry about (such as how to get some food on their plates) rather than being picky about their omega 3s... It'd be great if everyone had enough to eat so they could worry about where to get their omega 3s from...

[sandra]

Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not sure what you're talking about. Nobody mentioned omega 3 in general, we're discussing DHA (and to a certain extent EPA) which are specific forms of omega 3 which are only produced by algae.



That on the other hand is a good point, and I was just thinking about that. Do inuits develop parkinson disease?

The point I was making was ALL omega 3 serves the same purpose at the end of the day.......whether marine sourced or not!
Omega 3 is important in everyone's diet but it exists in food other than algae.

[wendy]

Yes, Sandra, but not everybody can assimilate the omega3 from flax,walnuts, canola....
And everybody can from algae and fish
And I thibk a lot of non vegans do suffer from lach of omega3.
Depression is a major risk with shortages as are arthritis, reumathitis,heart disease,...
It are not only people who sell it that say it is necessary for good health. Research prooves it.

[sandra]

I'm not convinced with the 'evidence' that people can 'assimilate' omega 3 from algae better than other forms of omega 3.
Scientists are always coming up with studies that say one thing and then later they come up with studies that say the exact opposite. I really think if we all needed omega 3 from marine sources then there would have been far more evidence of people suffering illnesses linked to this than there is.

We are all going to die of something sooner or later..................of course if you can show me a large group of people all aged 120 who ate plenty of algae all their life, then I might be convinced!

[chico]

In any case, in many places of the world they have other serious issues to worry about (such as how to get some food on their plates) rather than being picky about their omega 3s... It'd be great if everyone had enough to eat so they could worry about where to get their omega 3s from...

Isn't this what I'm talking about? I wish everyone in the world had plenty of vegan food to feed themselves including DHA.

@ Sandra, did you actually read any of this? Why do you insist on broadly speaking about omega 3?

The point I was making was ALL omega 3 serves the same purpose at the end of the day.......whether marine sourced or not!

No it doesn't! Do you have any proof of this? Please prove to me that ALA is perfectly converted to DHA and EPA in all humans. Assuming that most vegans have extremely high intakes of omega 6 PUFAs this will further inhibit the absorption of ALA, let alone its conversion to DHA and EPA! This is a serious issue.

Omega 3 is important in everyone's diet but it exists in food other than algae.

ALA exist, not DHA or EPA!! And even there's not a lot of vegan sources of ALA and not a lot of vegan sources of ALA that have the right balance between ALA and omega 6!

[sandra]

Yes Chico, I did read it all..............

Did you read what I said?

Are you telling me that if we eat this algae and are also vegan we will live forever?

[chico]

Yes I read all you said.

What kind of question is that?

[sandra]

You asked it first..........you should know!

Plus, you didn't answer this question:- Are you telling me that if we eat this algae and are also vegan we will live forever?


__________________

[chico]

What the heck are you talking about? What did I ask first? And do I sound crazy to you to think humans can live forever?
If you're joking, fine, but don't expect me to understand your riddles

[sandra]

Calm down Chico!

You asked me first.........quote: '@ Sandra, did you actually read any of this?'

The reason I asked my question about living forever is because, if this algae stuff is so brilliant then if we already eat a healthy vegan diet plus take it, will that mean we live forever?
If not then what will we die of? Don't say old age because there are already plenty of people who have never taken this algae supplement who live well into their 80's and 90's.
Please don't assume I am being flippant here, I'm not..............I'm merely asking YOU some questions which you don't seem to have answered.

[Pilaf]

I'm not convinced with the 'evidence' that people can 'assimilate' omega 3 from algae better than other forms of omega 3.
Scientists are always coming up with studies that say one thing and then later they come up with studies that say the exact opposite. I really think if we all needed omega 3 from marine sources then there would have been far more evidence of people suffering illnesses linked to this than there is.

We are all going to die of something sooner or later..................of course if you can show me a large group of people all aged 120 who ate plenty of algae all their life, then I might be convinced!

But there IS widespread evidence of people suffering from the diseases associated with poor Omega 3 intake - one of them possibly being Alzheimer's. (Not to mention widespread heart disease and other diseases which not caused by omega 3 shortages by any means could be countered by more omega 3 in the diet)

As for your second part - nonsense. Aging is just another disease science hasn't cured yet. But it will, given the time and resources. Stem cells show promise, for one.