Re: GLA (was Re: flax seeds...yes or no)

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/21/03 1:21:08 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

biophile410@... writes:

> I was following this thread closely and you lost me here.

> First, what do you mean by n-6 vegetables,

I thought I said n-6 vegetable oils. If not, that's what I meant to say.

Although note that if the oil from a " vegetable " (seed? nut?) is rich in n-6s,

then the food it is derived from is also rich, though not as concentrated, in

n-6s.

since my understanding is

> most n-6 fats in the American diet come from oils (corn, soy, etc.)

> and (not sure about this) from grain-fed cows?

n-6s are found in most nuts and seeds and fatty beans, and grains, and in

smaller amounts in other foods. The most concentrated sources are the oils

derived from the above foods. Fats from animals fed the above foods will also

be

comparitively high in n-6, compared to n-3 anyway, though in general not that

high in pufa for say, ruminant meat.

> Second, how would high n-6 contribute to GLA deficiency, and how would

> eggs bacon steak butter reverse this deficiency?

No, I said high n-3, not n-6, could contribute to those deficiencies, and I

meant the eggs bacon steak and butter could correct an AA deficiency, not a GLA

deficiency.

gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid (DGLA) and arachidonic

acid (AA) are omega-6 fatty acids which linoleic acid (most common in the

plant source n-6s) is a precursor to. The enzyme that conversts LA to GLA is

the

same enzyme that converts ALA to Stearadonic acid. The enzyme that converts

GLA to DGLA is the same enzyme that converts Stearadonic acid to

Eicosatertraenoic acid. The enzyme that converts DGLA to AA is the same enzyme

that

converts Eicosatertraenoic acid to Eicosapentanoic acid (EPA).

So if you consume 14 grams of ALA from flax and you consume 2 grams of LA

from nuts, seeds, butter, or what have you, by the laws of probability, you are

going to convert 7 times more ALA than you will LA. Whereas if you had conumed

1 gram of ALA from butter and a variety of other sources, (and gotten most of

your EPA/DHA from pre-formed animal sources) and consumed the same 2 grams of

LA, you would covert twice as much LA as you would ALA. Say, picking a

completely random number, your enzyme can convert 4 grams in a day, you'll

convert

0.4 grams of LA in the first scenario, and 2.7 grams of LA in the second

scenario.

Each enzyme up will similarly decrease the amount of n-6 converted, and under

certain dietary circumstances, a dietary deficiency of certain n-6s could be

produced.

If you are unfamiliar with these conversions, the WAPF article Tripping

Lightly Down the Prostaglandin Pathways is probably a good place to start.

> Third when you say " GLA might be tricky if you aren't supplementing

> with a special GLA oil, although you can get it from oatmeal. " ... do

> you think everyone who doesn't eat oatmeal should be supplementing GLA?

Nope. I think anyone supplementing with enormous amounts of flax should

reconsider their position. Most people can make GLA out of LA (if they aren't

consuming enormous quantities of flax!), the few who can't, can probably get

what

they need from tiny amounts in butter and other products. Of course if you

suspect a deficiency, I suppose it couldn't hurt to supplement with borage oil

or something.

> I've been wondering about GLA and keep some evening primrose oil

> around, but haven't found anything useful about it on the net.

It's sometimes a miracle cure for eczema, but only if the eczema is induced

by a GLA deficiency.

Chris

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/21/03 7:09:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

ChrisMasterjohn@... writes:

> So if you consume 14 grams of ALA from flax and you consume 2 grams of LA

> from nuts, seeds, butter, or what have you, by the laws of probability, you

> are

> going to convert 7 times more ALA than you will LA. Whereas if you had

> conumed

> 1 gram of ALA from butter and a variety of other sources, (and gotten most

> of

> your EPA/DHA from pre-formed animal sources) and consumed the same 2 grams

> of

> LA, you would covert twice as much LA as you would ALA. Say, picking a

> completely random number, your enzyme can convert 4 grams in a day, you'll

> convert

> 0.4 grams of LA in the first scenario, and 2.7 grams of LA in the second

> scenario.

>

er... 0.5 in the first scenario.

Chris

[Guest guest]

>>>>n-6s are found in most nuts and seeds and fatty beans, and grains, and

in

smaller amounts in other foods. The most concentrated sources are the oils

derived from the above foods. Fats from animals fed the above foods will

also be

comparitively high in n-6, compared to n-3 anyway, though in general not

that

high in pufa for say, ruminant meat.

---->a notable exception (for animals) is conventional chicken which is

about 20% PUFA (of total lipids) and about 20% of that is linoleic acid

(omega 6).

>>>>> I've been wondering about GLA and keep some evening primrose oil

> around, but haven't found anything useful about it on the net.

-------->it's good for menstrual cramps, and studies on companion animals

have found that a certain combo of fish oil and evening primrose oil is has

a relatively high efficacy at reducing a variety of inflammatory diseases.

most studies so far seem to have been on inflammatory dermatological

conditions, but the same mechanism should reduce any type of inflammation.

Suze Fisher

Lapdog Design, Inc.

Web Design & Development

http://members.bellatlantic.net/~vze3shjg

Weston A. Price Foundation Chapter Leader, Mid Coast Maine

http://www.westonaprice.org

----------------------------

" The diet-heart idea (the idea that saturated fats and cholesterol cause

heart disease) is the greatest scientific deception of our times. " --

Mann, MD, former Professor of Medicine and Biochemistry at Vanderbilt

University, Tennessee; heart disease researcher.

The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics

<http://www.thincs.org>

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