Flaxseed Oil and Fish Oil

GlitterStar · 06-22-2008, 12:46 PM

I've been taking fish oil for a while now, couple of months I guess. I was reading about all the women here who've had good experiences with flaxseed oil and their hair so I thought I'd try that too. But dang it, I'm taking so many vitamins and herbs now in addition to my real meds, somethings gotta give! When I was reading the ingredients of the flaxseed oil, it has omega 3 and some other essential fatty acids just like fish oil. So can I just replace the fish oil with flaxseed oil?

Prixton · 06-22-2008, 12:57 PM

IMO, replacing fish oil with flaxseed oil defeats the purpose completely. The only reason to take fish or flax oil is because of their omega-3 content. If you take whole flax seeds you also get protein and fiber, but if you are just taking the oil, then the only reason is for the omega-3s.

Fish oil contains omega-3s in the form of DHA and EPA -- these are the forms that your body actually uses, so it is easily absorbed and utilized by your body.

Flax oil contains omega-3s in the form of ALA -- this is NOT the form your body uses, so your body has to first CONVERT ALA to DHA or EPA, and the conversion rate for the average person is about 30%.

So, if you're taking 1,000mg of omega-3s from fish oil, you are probably actually absorbing almost all of it. If you are taking 1,000mg of omega-3s from flax oil, you might be absorbing about 300mg (1/3) of it. This is why, unless you are a vegetarian or have some other reason for wanting to take flax over fish oil, I ALWAYS recommend taking fish oil instead of flax oil.

GlitterStar · 06-22-2008, 05:29 PM

Hmmm, interesting. My only reason for checking into flaxseed oil was because people said it has done wonders for their hair. So when I got it, I noticed what it was and realized it was nearly the same as fish oil, I wondered what the big deal was. I think I only need one or the other not both and fish oil, by your info. seems to make much more sense. So I wonder why though, people report that flaxseed makes a difference with hair growth but fish oil doesn't? You'd think it would be the opposite.