You Asked, I Answered
Filed under: Nutrition
Q). What are your thoughts about ALA conversion to DHA as well as antinutrient content in flax? I read that Cordain has changed his stance on flax and doesn’t recommend them anymore, but I’d be curious to hear what you have to say.
A). ALA conversion to EPA and DHA is varied and quite poor overall. Studies have ranged from 0 to 12%, though it varies per person and by sex, with women seemingly converting more than men. Now this doesn’t mean that ALA doesn’t have any benefits. It is still beneficial and has been associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. While I wouldn’t go crazy with it, and I am not a big fan of large doses of flaxseed oil, I think that flaxseed has tremendous benefits.
Flaxseed and its inherent lignan content have been shown to suppress atheroslcerosis, reduce LDL cholesterol, increase HDL cholesterol, decrease markers of inflammation (such as C-reactive protein) and raise blood levels of omega-3′s. Here are a couple of review studies on flaxseed and cardiovascular disease if you want to take a look yourself.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14995053
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19568181
So yes I think moderate flax consumption is not only a good thing, but a great thing.
Q). Brian,
Given the spirit of this blog post, do you think the information in the following post (specifically the portion toward the bottom under the heading of “Hemp: Not For Human Consumption”) misses the mark by throwing hemp products under the bus? From the tone of the comments, it sounds like their verdict on hemp would remain as is, even when considering that a portion of the n-6 PUFA’s in hemp are from GLA. http://www.westonaprice.org/farm-a-ranch/457-instead-of-soybeans-hemp-and-kenaf.html
A). While I do think the WAPF has some great content, they have plenty of things that I do not agree with as well. This question can be summed up in so many ways by my blog post on the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. I think people take the omega-6 content of a food too far. If huge portions of your diet contain large amounts of industrial vegetables oils (like corn oil) that contain tremendous amounts of omega-6′s, are highly processed and prone to oxidation then that is a problem.
If you consume a moderate amount of hemp, say 1-2 tbsp of seeds per day, or a scoop of protein, or some hemp seed butter, or some moderate combination and you also consume your fish oil, some flax, some chia, some walnuts as well as cold-water fatty fish and grass-fed meats, then no it is not a problem whatsoever. Hemp contains omega-3′s, mainly in the form of ALA like noted above in the flax Q & A, and it also contains SDA, a relatively rare omega-3 that highly converts to EPA, much more readily than ALA.
The actual ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 in hemp is actually around 3:1, so I really do not see how this is a food unfit for consumption. Plus, like you noted many of the omega-6′s come from GLA, which is actually an anti-inflammatory omega-6.
I do prefer that people eat the whole food, like the seeds themselves, rather than the oil since you also get fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals and antioxidants that help prevent oxidation. Overall, I think hemp is a fine food and is definitely fit for human consumption. If you want to read more I blogged all about the goodness of hemp.
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Posted on September 6th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre
8 Comments
September 7th, 2010 at 4:42 am
Hi Brian,
I hope you will answer this question of mine too! I’m 19 years old, 5’6 and about 16% body fat. I want to lean out and get ripped and I’ve come across several aggressive diet plans that I really like. There’s Lyle McDonald’s protein-spared modified fast, John Berardi’s Get Shredded diet and Shelby Sharnes’s carb cycling diet. I’ve chosen the PSMF approach but am a bit concerned as I usually engage in soccer on Saturday mornings and am not sure if I’ll be affected by the severe caloric and carb restriction. Do you think I should carry on with the diet but add in a refeed every Saturday where I consume more carbs but keep calories at maintenance?
On this diet, I’ll be strength training 3 times a week using stronglifts 5×5 and eating pretty much the same foods:
Breakfast: 5-egg-white-and-2-egg-yolk omelette, 1 apple.
Lunch: 8oz chicken breast, 1 cup broccoli
Dinner: 2 cans tuna, 1 cup pumpkin
That’s about 800kcal. Do you think mercury poisoning is a risk with eating so much tuna? Granted, it’ll only be a 12-day experiment to start…
September 7th, 2010 at 4:48 am
Brian,
Thanks a ton for responding so quickly and thoroughly. I really appreciate that you’d take the time do do that. My mind has been enlightened.
Rob
April 25th, 2016 at 12:28 am
Hi again, My university library didnt have a copy of that book so I have put in a request for an intil-rebrary loan so hopefully it will arrive within a few weeks. Has any of your research been published?
May 15th, 2016 at 8:26 pm
Yup, that’ll do it. You have my appreciation.
August 9th, 2016 at 7:04 am
Hi, the whole thing is going perfectly here and ofcourse every one is sharing
data, that’s in fact fine, keep up writing.
January 21st, 2017 at 11:53 am
Hallelujah! I needed this-you’re my savior.
February 12th, 2017 at 1:13 pm
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