Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsIt is Good, fresh, and cheap.
Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2017
This product is fresh, has an expiration date, it is good quality, and the best price. in the market.
Because flaxseeds are highly perishable and turn rancid rapidly, you should buy organic whole seeds and grind them yourself just prior to use (avoid pre-ground versions).
While flaxseeds are an excellent source of omega-3 fat, they only contain one basic member of the omega-3 fat family. In the case of flaxseeds, virtually all of the omega-3 fat is found in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (often abbreviated "ALA"). This specific kind of omega-3 fat makes up about 50% of the oil in flaxseeds.
The omega-3 assembly line starts with ALA.
The omega-3 fatty acid ALA, featured in flaxseeds, contains 18 carbons, making it the shortest of the omega-3 fats, and hence the simplest. It retains a position at the beginning of the assembly line with our omega-3 metabolism starting with this compound as a building block.
ALA gets elongated into other omega-3 fatty acids.
The reason I say that these omega-3 fats "get ready" to turn into other forms is because getting longer is not the only requirement for conversion of one omega-3 to another. A second requirement is what's called "increased desaturation." During this process, the omega-3 fat gets altered chemically so that its carbon atoms are connected together in a new way that provides more reactivity to the fat. This new kind of connection is called double-bonding. For ALA (our starting point for the omega-3 assembly line) to become EPA, two new double bonds must be added in addition to the 2-carbon atom increase in length.
The role of other nutrients in omega-3 metabolism
The process of lengthening and changing, of elongating and desaturating, the chemical bonds in omega-3 fat is complex, and many nutrients are required to bring it about. To get from ALA to EPA, for example, the required nutrients are: vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium.
Nutrient deficiencies can block omega-3 metabolism
What happens if an individual is deficient in one or more of the above nutrients? The answer is simple: that individual cannot convert linolenic acid very efficiently into the other longer-chain omega-3 fats. A person with known deficiencies in most of the above-cited nutrients (vitamins B3, B6, C, and the minerals zinc and magnesium) would not be able to get maximum benefit from flaxseeds' omega-3s because he or she would not be able to effectively convert the ALA upward into the other omega-3 fats. Being able to effectively convert ALA upward into these other omega-3 fats is very important to our health, and when we cannot effectively accomplish this task and don't compensate by eating foods that are high in EPA and DHA, we can significantly increase our risk of health problems.
For that reason I take Flax Seeds and one capsule 1000mg of Krill Oil per day, which has:
Omega-3 fatty acids 230mg, EPA 120mg, and DHA 60mg.
