Vitamins

I have recently started doing this diet and am confused on what supplements I should be taking after reading some threads on this website. I am currently taking 5 x 1000mgs EPA concentrate fish oil and 15mls flaxseed oil daily. Is this correct can anyone give me a really clear answer on what is best to take. Prior to starting this diet I never ate fish. Also is emulsified fish oil better or not.

Hi Sarah - Yes that is correct. George advises this for the first 9 months or so and then that can be changed to 20mls of flaxseed oil, - as well as maintaining fish regularly in the diet (or fish oil). I don't know definitively about emulsified fish oil but some material says it makes unsaturated fatty acids more bioavaiable.I am sure someone can answer that. I hope you enjoy the diet and soon feel the benefits of it.

Hello Sarah Kenny, please take a look at 'The Taking Control Program' listed under the tab 'The Recovery Program'. There you will find step-by-step what the Professor recommends for his wellness regimen. It it also useful to look under the FAQ's.

Hi guys Like Sarah this is all new to me too. I have read George's book and he describes his supplement regime but reading the stuff on this website makes it look like taking most of these supplements is harmful. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Also what time of the day is it best to take supplements? Thanks

Hi!
I am trying to organise supplements for my husband and I too am confused about quantities.
I have Blackmores Fish Oil 1000, made up of Fish Oil (natural) 1g (1000mg)
and
Blackmores Flaxseed Oil capsules made up of Linseed Oil 1g (1000mg).

How many of each should my husband be taking each day as he embarks slowly on changing his diet?

Thank-you!

Hello Izzygee, you will find an indepth analysis of fish oil / flaxseed oil in the FAQ's, in the answer to a question relating to alpha linolenic acid.

Oh dear, I am very concerned about the misunderstandings about fish oil. The research I have seen suggests that the most important omega-3 is DHA not EPA. I think if folks are taking fish oil that is primarily EPA, they are wasting their money and probably their health. It is DHA that is the powerful anti-inflammatory.

Most fish oils have a ratio of EPA to DHA of 1.5. A typical 1 gram soft gel capsule of fish oil contains 180 milligrams of EPA and 120 milligrams of DHA. There should be no less than 120 milligrams of DHA per 1 gram (1,000 milligrams) of fish oil.

If you look up sockeye salmon on http://www.nutritiondata.com , you will see that salmon has a great deal of DHA. This is what we want. Ditto for wild caught sardines.

About supplements in general. The research shows that many supplements are harmful. For example, even small doses of Vitamin E led to an increase in fatal heart attacks in one study. In addition, when beta carotene was given to cancer patients, the patients receiving the supplement died earlier--in fact, researchers were so alarmed they stopped the experiment.

As a consequence, it is best to get nutrients from a diet that is whole, unprocessed plant-based with some oily fish. I get vitamin E, for example, not from supplements but from sunflower seeds.

For supplements, I take only the following: Vitamin D3, fish oil, calcium, B12, and B6 (I run short on this for some odd reason). Sometimes I also take a little niacin if needed. And that's it. I am not, not, not a big believer in supplements. Primrose oil, for example, is probably not helpful according to research I've seen. Eating lots of sunflower seeds is, on the other hand, smart.

Hello Rebecca, how right you are in encouraging hesitation in taking supplements rather than the food itself. Interestingly enough when you take fish oil directly from the fish, and without any chemical processing to concentrate the EPA & DHA, you get a ratio of EPA:DHA 180:120mg. Taking fish oil this way, rather than in capsule form you can be sure that the chemical makeup of the oils has not been tampered with. But of course there is always a downside, unfortunately about 30% of the oil is saturated fat. That is why the Professor recommends only taking it for the first 9 months or so, and then moving to flaxseed oil, which has a much lower content of saturated fat. Although Swank did not count the amount of saturated fat coming from his cod liver oil supplements (5mls per day), or from oily fish, he did suggest not eating too much of the oily fish - presumably because of the saturated fat content.

Lisa,

Thanks for some additional information. The types of Omega-3s also varies by species a bit. If you look at http://www.nutritiondata.com and if you look up sockeye salmon or sardines, you will see that these both have a very high level of DHA to EPA. They have much more DHA than EPA. Also, if you look at whale meat of the type eaten by Eskimos who do not get MS, you will see that again the DHA amount is very high and the EPA amount is low. DHA is 22:6(n-3). EPA is 20:5 (n−3).

For example, I just looked up 3 ounces of canned/drained sockeye salmon. It has
saturated fat 1 gram (about 1,000 mg)
EPA 20:5 n-3 - 477 mg
DHA 22:6 n-3 - 751 mg

You can see these details on the Omega-3s by pressing the "More Details" button under the section describing the fats in the food.

This is the reason it is important to eat wild caught salmon and sardines. They are great species for us. They contain DHA in abundance and relatively little saturated fat compared to fish oil supplements. I don't know where the fish oil in capsules comes from but it is not from the really great fish like red salmon and sardines.

Also, Professor Jelinek eats a fair amount of oily fish so he really does not need any fish oil supplements. But, like you say, we can't make gluttons of ourselves or we will get too much saturated fat. Not to mention what would happen to our good looks. LOL

The ratio you mention is for standard fish oil purchased from places such as Costco.

Rebecca