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Organic flax seed oil has become the choice of many people in recent years. This once obscure product only reserved at one time for the most extreme health advocated with extra cash to burn, has now both affordable and easily accessible. In fact, almost any grocery store, pharmacy, or superstore will have some type of organic flax seed oil on the shelf.
Helpful tip: Prices do vary greatly so shopping around might save you quite a bit of money over time.
Flax oil has some very respectable support. In fact in a recent article published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition made the case that, when taken in the optimal dose, organic flax seed oil may rival fish oil in terms of net benefits.
So what benefits are we talking about? Flax oil is thought to help or reduce the severity of over 60 different health concerns including heart attack, stroke, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, arthritis, osteoporosis, depression, bipolar disorder, macular degeneration, and chronic fatigue, and that is just the short list.
How does organic flax seed oil produce these benefits? The simple answer is by reducing inflammation in the body. How this happens is a far more complicated issue. Organic flax oil contain an omega fatty acid commonly known as ALA (alpha linolenic acid) which is converted to DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) by the body. DHA and EPA are thought to be the source of the health benefits and seem to reduce inflammation at a cellular level by keeping cell membranes pliable and healthy.
Where is organic flax seed oil found in nature? ALA is derived from plant based foods such walnuts, pecans, sunflower seeds, almonds, soybeans, olives, and leafy green vegetables. Additionally, many products are fortified or made with flax. An example would be flax bread or flax muffins.
Is there a downside to organic flax seed oil? There seems to be a couple of concerns most experts have expressed concerning flax for health. The most pervasive seem to be the high content of omega 6 (linoleic acid). Some research suggests that the balance between omega 3 and omega 6 is vital to good health with a ration of 3 times more omega 6 (3:1) considered a healthy ratio. By some estimates the American style diet has a 20:1ratio due to its high red meat intake and low consumption of fatty fish. While taking organic flax seed oil doesn’t make the ratio any worse, it doesn’t do anything to bring it down either.
The second concern is that flax seed oil contains no natural DHA and EPA, only ALA. Once flax is ingested ALA is then converted to the DHA and EPA for use by the body. A lot can be lost in the conversion making finding the right dose paramount to receiving the anticipated health benefits.
Is organic flax seed oil worth considering? While most people will derive more natural benefits from pure pharmaceutical grade fish oil, organic flax seed oil is definitely worth considering. Some people just don’t care for fish or fish oil supplements for that matter, and for this group flax oil is an excellent alternative.
Rob D. Hawkins is an enthusiastic advocate for the use of safe and effective high quality alternative health products and natural living, with over 10 years experience in the field. Learn more about natural remedies and natural health at http://purchaseremedies.com
Vitamin D: Essential for Prevention of Diseases
