Nutrigold Flaxseed Oil 500ml

Nutrigold Flaxseed Oil 500ml

Vacu-force® Golden Flaxseed Oil is a superior tasting, organic, vegetarian and vegan source of omega 3 and 6 essential fatty acids packaged in amber glass bottles. The cutting-edge solventfree Vacu-force® technology producesstable, biologically active oil with minimal processing avoiding production of chemicals and harmful free radicals.

EFA’s, or as they are often called Omega-3 & Omega-6

Complementary health professionals have known for many years about the importance of supplementing the British diet with essential fatty acids (EFA’s), in particular a very important group of essential fatty acids called Omega-3. It is common knowledge that our modern diets deliver a decreasing amount of this essential nutrient. The subject of essential fatty acids and the important role they play in our diet has been getting increased levels of publicity over recent years, in fact many high profile pet food producers are proud to claim in their TV adverts that their products deliver Omega-3 (one of the better known essential fatty acids). However, when it comes to our own diets we often seem totally unaware of the importance of these nutrients.

Aren’t all fats bad for you?

Many people think of fats as foods that give us energy and they may also be aware that too much fat in the diet is a bad thing, however, less people know that there are good and bad fats. It is true to say that there are two very specific types of fat that appear in our diets, both are considered to be essential to maintain good health. These vitally important groups of fats are called Omega-3 and Omega-6 and are also known as "polyunsaturates". Omega-3 and Omega-6 (EFA’s) are supported by some very substantial research which indicates that these essential nutrients are important to maintain, in particular, a healthy heart, blood, arteries, immune system, joints, bones and brain function.

They are also noted to support the production of a distinct group of hormones known as eicosanoids (of which one group is derived from Omega-6 and another different group is derived from Omega-3). These particular fats are considered essential, mainly because they are needed to produce these specific hormones in the body which are known to play a regulatory role in our physiological functions. However, it is not always realised that Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are both independently essential, i.e. there is no way an imbalance in one can be addressed by supplementing another.

These important Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats need to be clearly distinguished from the "non-essential fatty acids", which comprise both the saturated fatty acids (which do not have an Omega number) and the mono-unsaturated fatty acids (also referred to as Omega-9). Both these types can be safely omitted from the diet so long as there are sufficient energy sources of other kinds and there is sufficient fat to permit the absorption of the fatsoluble vitamins. However, most research indicates that there are health implications from over-consuming saturated fats.

What is an Essential Fatty Acid?

To understand this fully one needs to appreciate the difference between "fats" and "fatty acids". When we eat fatty foods we eat primarily "fats". Each molecule of a fat is made up from three molecules of the organic acids known as "fatty acids" and one molecule of glycerol. Chemists therefore call them "triglycerides". Fats can be converted into their component fatty acids plus glycerol either by boiling with alkali or by the action of enzymes (such as those within our bodies) that break down fats. It is the component fatty acids that may be essential, not the fats themselves.

Obviously, though, a fat that is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids yields mainly Omega-3 fatty acids when it is digested. It has long been thought that the amazing health records of the Eskimos living in their traditional style, hunting marine foods in the Arctic, is down to the positive levels of these all important nutrients.