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Comment by vfc1 | Hacker News Reader

The article does not talk about alternatives. A great alternative for Omega-3s are ground flax seeds, one tablespoon a day mixed for example in your oatmeal is enough - https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/omega-3-fatty-acids

Also for the derived DHA/EPA, there are pollutant-free alternatives based on algae oil.

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Flax seeds are a bad source of omega 3s, because the oil they have, ALA, isn't used in the body and the conversion into DHA/EPA (which are) is poor [0].

[0]: https://examine.com/nutrition/can-i-eat-flax-seeds-instead-o...

So what are vegetarians, or those with fish allergies, are supposed to be eating?

A well balanced diet without focusing on any particular food or supplement in the belief that it's some magic bullet for good health?

If one wanted omega-3s of the DHA/EPA variety, there's algae oil. It's commonly available as a supplement from many of the same companies that produce fish oil supplements.

What’s the mercury level

Zero.

Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the main type of fat in flaxseed oil also seems to increase prostate cancer risk:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15051847

Just in case anyone else was confused by this, Alpha-lipoic acid is also abbreviated as ALA.

Alpha-lipoic acid is an antioxidant that helps the body turn glucose into energy, and is also a popular supplement.

...did you even read the article? The study found a link between blood concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and prostate cancer. The issue is with omega-3s in general, not that particular form of supplement.

The article also states that there is little evidence for any benefits from similar supplements.

I think that if the risks associated with pollutants in fish oil capsules were significant enough to affect the results, they would have been mentioned in the study.

The HN Guidelines ask:

"Please don't insinuate that someone hasn't read an article. "Did you even read the article? It mentions that" can be shortened to "The article mentions that.""

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

> The article does not talk about alternatives.

Alternative for what?

You don't need an alternative for a food supplement with unproven benefits and potential risks. The alternative is to not take it.

I prefer flax seed oil to ground flax seeds, due to cyanide being present in the shells.

Not to mention the constipation. Different fiber affects people differently I suppose, but for me, flax seed binds me up pretty bad.

And do you think shells aren't pressed when the flax seeds are for oil extraction?

Hydrogen cyanide is not fat soluble, so the levels are presumably much lower in the oil.

just eat fish, shellfish, etc?

I think the part about pollutant free shouldn't be overlooked. Some labels claim they have removed harmful things like mercury from their fishoil supplements. Eating fish and shellfish in large quantities eould certainly increase your exposure to that and other contaminants.

Smaller fish have negligible quantities of mercury and other pollutants, due to their short lifespan not allowing for bioaccumulation, as well as being much lower on the food chain. Herring, Anchovies, Smelt, Sardines, and even Mackerel or Trout, are all are excellent sources of EPA/DHA, and without any of the risks of larger fish.

Another option is krill oil, which contains large amounts of omega-3's and is low in mercury because krill (tiny shrimp-like creatures) are at the bottom of the food chain and eat only algae, unlike large fish which eat other fish and thereby concentrate mercury in their flesh.[1][2]

Incidentally, it's also possible to get DHA supplements sourced completely from algae.

[1] - https://www.drnewtons.com/blog/avoid-dangers-mercury-pure-kr...

[2] - http://krill-oil.wellwise.org/krill-oil-side-effects/krill-o...

Fish don’t make omega 3 oils, they ingest them from algae. So you can just cut out the middle fish and get them from algae yourself, in the form of algae oil supplements.

well the omega 3 to omega 6 ratio is the point of taking O6 How do you know how much O3 you need? So O6 is in plant-oils, how many O3 Capsules do you need to eat with your salad if you put olive Oil on it? Fish and shellfish already have the perfect ratio, unless you cook them in plant oils.

I have abandoned flax seeds after finding out their impact on testosterone.

It's not a replacement.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/why-not-flaxseed...

You should feel bad for promoting Michal Greger's bullshit.

https://www.humanewatch.org/hsus_doc_exposed_as_schlock/

https://www.thatnerdysciencegirl.com/2015/11/13/the-case-aga...

The article is realistic, there is no major issue in recommending flaxseed.

> Flaxseed oil will give your diet a nice little omega-3 boost in the form of alpha-linolenic acid. You might try adding some to your salad dressing. But it's a backup, not a substitute, for the omega-3s in fish and fish oil because of the conversion factor.

The real issue is: are you deficient in Omega-3 oils? Here's how much ALA you need (which is what Flaxseed has) https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer/...

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