Re: flax seeds...yes or no; what are n-3s ? (nt)

[Guest guest]

> " What does that have to do with what I said? I didn't even mention

> butter. "

>

> Fair enough, you didn't mention it but it's the predominant theme

> here. Seems like people here eat only sat fat! Veggies aren't real

> important, fruit isn't necessary, who cares about fiber, omega-3s

> cause cancer. While I can agree that sat. fat isn't the bad guy

> here... some of the stuff on this board REALLY goes against the

grain.

> It goes against almost all respected research out there. Now, I'm

> hardly in a position to criticize being a layman and all, but it

makes

> the group as a whole lack credibility (again, from my layman

> perspective).

>

>

> " I've never seen any convincing evidence at all for the benefits of

> phytates. "

>

> Can you show me convincing evidence that the consumption of phytates

> is deleterious to health? My point is: both positions are based on

a

> theoretical understanding, not actual proof. One side says that

> phytates are bad because they leech minerals and the other side says

> they leech out mainly harmful minerals. So my conclusion is that a

> moderate consumption is perfectly healthy. Why go out of my way to

get

> rid of phytates? It's like going out of my way to avoid fruit

because

> it contains fructose.

>

> " Well, now you have lined yourself up to the plate to bat against

all

> the epidemiological evidence showing that enormous iron intakes do

> not lead to heart disease or cancer. You also now have to explain

why

> the active transport system that regulates iron absorption isn't

> sufficient to take care of this. "

>

> Do you have any thoughts on the following article?:

>

> http://t-mag.com/nation_articles/278iron.jsp

>

> I'm no expert but everything I've read leads me to believe that too

> much iron is harmful to health. That may be wrong, but until I see

> contrary evidence that's what I have to stick with.

>

> " You also have to explain why decreasing Ca, Zn, and other minerals

> in proportion to the iron would have any beneficial effect, or

> wouldn't have a negative effect, since phytates do not selectively

> bind iron. "

>

> You raise a good point. My contention was never that phytates are

all

> good...simply that they aren't all bad. I don't see why anyone

should

> go through loads of effort to get rid of phytates when the jury

isn't

> out yet.

>

> " What studies have also shown is that increased omega-3s lead to

> increased lipid peroxidation, which could lead to cancer and other

> problems. So it seems wise to me to try to get the highest EPA/DHA

> with the lowest total omega-3s. I mentioned raw butter simply to

> point out that it contains ALA, so if one did not consume ALA-rich

> oils, they could get sufficient ALA from other food sources. You

> wouldn't have to eat butter, that's just one example. "

>

> Again, I'm not stating that n-3s are without problems. But from all

> the information out there, adding n-3s to your diet is probably a

good

> thing.

>

> -