In a study to be released Tuesday, participants with low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood had slightly smaller brains and scored lower on memory and cognitive tests than people with higher blood levels of omega-3s. The changes [that is, the differences] in the brain were equivalent to about two years of normal brain aging, says the study’s lead author.
As this article recommends, I used to eat plenty of fish. But I still noticed a dramatic improvement in my balance and cognitive abilities when I started taking flaxseed oil. The best amount seemed to be 2-3 tablespoons/day. Fish wasn’t supplying close to the optimum amount of omega-3. One comment on the article was
The only proper response to this article should be, “Duh.”
I disagree. A better response is to ask How much room for improvement is there?
You like flax, but it’s a source of ALA, not EPA/DHA.
https://examine.com/faq/can-i-eat-flax-seeds-instead-of-fish-or-fish-oil-for-omega-3s.html
Flax is healthy, but I don’t think it can offer the same benefits of fish, contrary to what your anecdote suggests.
I’m also curious why he uses flax oil and not fish oil directly.
Seth,
Seems to me what would be clarifying/useful is if you were to try and switch out the flaxseed oil for an equal amount of fish-derived omega 3′s (ie, EPA/DHA from fish oil).
The purpose being that you would then know if it were a general omega 3 dosing effect, or specifically an alpha-linolenic acid effect.
Seth: Others have found similar effects using other forms of omega-3.
Seth posited a neurological benefit. Nick, you posted a link about its efficacy in providing a cardiovascular benefit. Further, the abstracts for the later studies at your link, e.g. regarding vegan consumption, dealt with quantities of flaxseed that are approximately no more than 1/8 of what Seth consumes.
What percentage of calories per day are you consuming as omega 6? Omega 3?
Seth: Omega-6: Not much. 3%? That’s just a guess. Sometimes I eat nuts. I avoid vegetable oils, nut oils, and so on. Omega-3: 10%? Again, these are just guesses.
I tried eating ground flax seeds regularly on two different occasions. Both time, I ended the experiment because I was getting bruises. I mean that tiny bump in anything gave me a bruise. Carrying a heavy box in my harm gave me bruises on both forearms. I even got bruises I could not explain. It seemed dangerous to continue.
Did anyone else encounter that problem? Does it mean something? Is there a solution?
Increased bruising from flaxseeds: I think this is due to an increase in clotting time, a well-known effect of flaxseed oil and perhaps fish oil. Too-long clotting time certainly is dangerous — the danger is of a stroke. I eat ground flaxseed because it has substantial easy to notice benefits (e.g., pink gums instead of reddish gums). If I were in your position, I would start with a tiny dose and increase it. At the first sign of bruising, I would reduce the dose to a dose that doesn’t cause bruising. I would also try to find out if my clotting time (without flaxseeds) was unusually long.