"What is this I hear about sipping oil?" Sipping oil is shorthand for, be sure to get all of your essential fatty acids EFAs. "What are EFAs?" Well, they are special fats which our bodies need and cannot produce, so it is essential that we eat them daily for good health. "Why should I sip oil? Will oil help me lose weight faster?", yes it may do just that. And if you are deficient, the lack may slow down or even inhibit your weightloss. So start sipping oil. Krista on Essential Fatty Acids [EFAs]
Reading Krista's essay on essential fatty acids is a great primer. Please take some time to read it for a better understanding of EFAs.
Why sip oil? Because EFAs have several vital functions:
In "Understanding Fats & Oil", Michael Murray lists some 60 health problems that seem to respond to added EFA supplementation. FAT it does a body good. The Latin name for flax is Linum usitatissimum, which means "most useful". And according to Murray, Mahatma Gandhi is quoted as saying, "Whenever flax seed becomes a regular food item among the people there will be better health."
1 tablespoon of Barleans Flaxseed oil contains:
Our diets usually have an overabundance of Omega-6 oils. Longtime use of Omega-3 fatty acids must be used with additional ANTI-OXIDANTS because EFAs are extremely active thus creating FREE RADICALS due to the peroxidation of the fats ingested and the fat stored on the body. Free radicals serve a useful purpose in the body, but they must be controlled or else they wreak havoc. So get some vitamin E, beta-carotene, vitamin C plus other antioxidants to manage the oxidation, free radical cascade. Some researchers believe that oxidation of fats is what causes the harm in heart disease. YMMV
Fish body oils contain DHA and EPA which MOST bodies (not all) produce from the flaxseed oil. However it takes the body several weeks to convert the flaxseed oil into its constituent metabolites, and any number of "bad-guys" can intervene to slow down or halt the metabolism of the pre-cursor EFAs.
So, getting some end product EPA-DHA from fish oil capsules is not a bad idea. One does not need much to do the job though. Like Dr. A says, forget the decidedly American notion that if some is good, then more is better. Diabetics and those taking blood thinning drugs should not supplement omega3 oils without physician's approval. Omega3s thin the blood and make insulin more effective. Flaxseed oil also has a phytoestrogen (and phyto-progesterone) effect and may be contraindicated for some women. YMMV
For the average person (who is that?) 1-3 TEAspoons of a liquid flaxseed oil-borage oil mixure [3-12 capsules flax-borage oil] along with 1-3 capsules of EPA-DHA fish (body) oils. Do not use liver oils unless you want large amounts of vitamin A. Be sure label says EPA-DHA fish oil. Keep oils refrigerated or stored in freezer to avoid them going rancid in capsules or bottles.
Start slowly. Have one teaspoon at first to see how you respond to the oil. Then after a few days or a week add a second teaspoon. Gradually work up to (3) three teaspoons for evfery 100 pounds of bodyweight. Please pay attention to the warnings about blood thinning and diabetes. If in doubt check with your physician. HTH (hope this helps)
Bibliography:
Fats That Heal and Fats That Kill, by Udo Erasmus
Flaxseed (Linseed Oil and the Power of Omega 3, by James R. Johnston
The Omega Diet, by Simopoulos
Omega 3 Oils, by Donald O. Rudin, Clara Felix
Smart Fats, by Michael A. Schmidt
Flaxseed In Human Nutrition, by Stephen C. Cunnane