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Health & Fitness

"Omega Oils" must be taken with precaution

Fish Oil

Parent Essential Oils and Derivative EFAs

“The term fatty acids is so frequently misused that I was compelled to coin a new phrase, ‘parent essential oils’ (PEOs). ‘PEOs’ refer to the only two true essential fatty acids: parent omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA). The term parent is used because these are the whole, unadulterated forms of the only two essential fats your body demands, as they occur in nature. 

“Once PEOs are consumed, your body changes only five to ten percent of them to ‘derivatives.’ That means 90-95% stay in the parent form in the cell and mitochondrial membranes. There is a host of omega-6 and omega-3 derivative-based oils being marketed to physicians as EFAs that are, in fact, non-essential derivatives such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Fish oils are made up almost exclusively of omega-3 derivatives.

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“Scientifically and biochemically, calling these derivatives ‘EFAs’ is incorrect. Derivatives are not EFAs because they are not essential – your body has the ability to make them as needed from the PEOs. Taking fish oil and other helath-food-store ‘EFAs’ often leads to pharmacological overdoses, which can be very hatrmful. Membrane fluidity increases when more PEOs (in particular, parent omega-6) are available to incorporate in the membrane lipid bi-layer. When natural PEOs are replaced by trans fats (hydrogenated), the fluidity changes, and that can cause significant reduction in critical cellular O2 transfer.”

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Brian Scott Peskin, Ph.D., in “Cancer, Cholesterol and Statins,” Well Being Journal, Vol. 18, No. 5; available at www.wellbeingjournal.com

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