Anyone here take Flax Seed oil/pills?

[FDRrocks]

I bought a bottle the other day after reading this site: http://www.theministryoffitness.com/mof/library/faq/faq4.htm

It provides a laundry-list of good things taking this stuff will do for ya\ou. I also have heard it is a good supplement for vegetarians, so.....

Here's my 2 questions for anyone who uses this stuff:

1) Have you noticed and positive effects that are likely to have been caused by taking Flax?

2) The nutrition facts on the bottle says 1 tablespoon of Flax Oil contains 22% of your daily fat. The bottle also says to take 1 tablespoon a day per 100 lbs of weight. That means that by taking this supplement when I wake up (2 tablespoons)... I'm taking in 50% of the fat I'm supposed to eat all day... in 10 minutes? Is that likely to adversely affect my weight?

Thanks in advance.

[brainshrub]

1. Is this good for ADHD???

Somewhere I heard it was.

[FDRrocks]

7. The site says it has been medically proven to help

depression and schizophrenia. If that is true I'm sure it could help out with ADHD. But ADHD is not neccesarily a bad thing. Search Amazon.com for author Thom Hartmann (actually if I recall you are in his chatroom often. Or at least were), he has written several book on the topic.

[Elad]

2. Flax oil

There are different kinds of fat, and fat is an essential nutrient. Flax oil is mostly unsaturated fats, which are healthy and full of nutrition. Flax oil will help you lower cholesterol and lose weight, actually, not cause you to gain it.

And yes, it can be used to treat ADHD. It is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are the building blocks of the brain.

[Nlighten1]

3. Veggie fat

is always better for you than meat fat.

However, I think moderation is the key with all fats.

[ironflange]

4. My daughter (13) takes it

Four gelcaps per day. It seems to boost her meds for bipolar.

[hlthe2b]

5. I don't take supplements, but I eat a flax cereal that is specifically

high in flax and low in carbs, almost daily. (called flax-o-meal if anyone is interested)...

Flax and omega 3 rich foods like salmon are supposed to help with ADHD, memory, reduce risk of stroke, heart disease, etc., etc. Particularly good for women, too, to encourage hormone balance.

[disenfranchised]

6. I've been taking flax oil for about a year.

1--I think I've seen positive effects, but I started taking it when I started a new diet , so I don't know whether to credit the flax oil or my entire diet. Basically, it's a great source of "healthy" fat.

2--You definitely have to account for the calories in your diet. A lot of the newer diets believe men need more healthy fats in their diet than is recommended by the FDA. So, I wouldn't worry about the fat as much as the calories.

Hope that helps a little. I'm trying to answer your questions without preaching my diet.

[FDRrocks]

11. Actually...

WELCOME TO DU! :) :) :) :)

And I'd like to hear about your diet, and how it works for you.

[Robb]

8. Well, one of my dogs is on it.

Ever since he moved here from Alaska, he's had dry skin problems. They've gone away since he started some flaxseed oil. :shrug:

If you believe the pictures (he's the one on the left), it may be good for...ah...Mr. Happy as well. ;)

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. Haven't taken it myself.

A coworker of mine however did. He complained it gave him the worst case of diarrhea he had in a long time.

[Dogmudgeon]

10. Omega-3 series fats

Very helpful. The previous posts hit the basic points. Here's a few more.

1. Omega-3 fat may act as a "proton decoupler". This is jargon for the process where metabolism is selectively speeded up by reducing the efficiency of ATP-ADP conversion in the mitochondria. This effect may explain why Omega-3 fats increase insulin sensitivity and can cause a mild weight loss without significant dietary changes other than adding the Omega-3 fats.

2. Fish oils are better sources of Omega-3 than flax seed oil, but there has been some concern over levels of toxic metals (mainly lead and cadmium) in fish. Unless there is a brand of fish oil you can buy that is guaranteed to be low in metals, you should avoid it until the situation improves.

3. Borage oil and Evening Primrose oil are also good supplements, but they are more expensive than Flax Seed oil.

4. If you can, buy Flax Seed oil as oil, not as capsules or "softgels". The best way to take it is as actual ground-up Flax Seeds, if you can find some recipes that use it. I used to put the oil in with salad dressing right before eating the salad. (Vinegar may degrade Omega-3s in vitro.)

5. Any and all "essential oils" should be kept tightly closed in a dark container in the 'fridge. Since they are super-unsaturated fats, they go bad quite fast. Mixing in a little synthetic Vitamin E (alpha Tocopherol acetate) will keep it fresh longer, but it's still not a very stable liquid. Plan to use a bottle of the oil within two weeks -- four weeks at the outside.

6. You don't have to worry about it making you gain weight or hurting your blood lipids unless you have a metabolic lipid problem. I don't mean "slow metabolism," I mean a problem with the actual metabolic pathway. (If you have that, you probably already know about it.)

7. Monosaturated fats are also quite good for you. This is mainly olive oil and sesame seed oil.

Good luck, and good eating!

--bkl