Yes folks, you can change the oil in your diet and have a radical improvement in the amount of inflammation that is present.

Many of you have heard of GLA (gamma linolenic acid). It is typically found in evening primrose oil and borage oil. It is also widely promoted. One of the primary ways it works is by the conversion of the GLA into the potent anti-inflammatory prostaglandin E-1. Many people use borage oil as a source of GLA as it is far less expensive. I have always recommended evening primrose oil rather than borage oil as it seemed to work far better.

I recently learned that the reason evening primrose oil works better is that far higher levels of the GLA in evening primrose oil are converted into prostaglandin E1 than that in borage oil. So if you struggle with inflammatory conditions please consider trying a healthy dose of evening primrose oil. You can use as much as 5,000 mg per day.

The next issue you will want to address is not adding an oil in your diet but actually taking some oils out. Of course we all know that trans fat should be avoided, but most of us are seriously confused about "healthy" vegetable oils. Most of us don't appreciate that we have a major surplus of omega-6 fats in our diet that distorts the sensitive omega 3:6 ratio and can cause serious health problems.

Around 1900, Americans only had less than a pound of processed vegetable oil per year. Last year we had over 80 pounds per year. This is quite a radical difference. We simply were not designed to have these high levels of vegetable fats in our diet. There is a major confusion around PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids). Fish oil is a PUFA that is nearly deficient in all of us, but the omega-6 vegetable oil fats are used in serious excess and need to be avoided by most of us. That would include oils like safflower and sesame oils.

Canola oil should be avoided for other reasons.

Fish Oils

Fish oil has a long history of being effectively used to fight inflammation.

It does such things as:

• Suppressing T-cell activation and proliferation
• Maintaining T-cell homeostasis through the contraction of populations of activated T cells
• Reduction of inflammatory cytokines and eicosanoids
• Promotion of apoptosis

Omega-3s in High-Quality Fish/Cod Liver Oil

Remember that most fish are contaminated with mercury and other toxins and should be avoided, so you will want to find a high quality fish or cod liver oil supplement. When searching for a brand, it is important to find a source that is independently tested by a lab and found to conform to the highest purity guidelines. But how do you know which fish oil is best for you? Here are three quick tests:

1. Make sure that your brand is free of mercury and PCBs. This will not be on the label so you will need to:

   • Contact the manufacturer for their analysis

   • Review an independent third party that has analyzed the product

   • Hire a company to test the product yourself

2. Confirm that there are very low oxidation products in the fish or cod liver oil.

   It is important to understand fish oil and cod liver oil have long-chain unsaturated fats (primarily EPA and DHA) and they are very susceptible to oxidation or damage. If the oil is not processed properly damage will occur. Many years ago nearly all the fish oils were oxidized. That is why when you mention cod liver oil to most anyone they turn up their nose in disgust. Typically, they only taste bad when they are oxidized.

3. Make certain that your fish oil or cod liver oil has therapeutic levels of vitamin E in it.

   Nearly all manufacturers insert a small amount of one unit per teaspoon. This is sufficient to prevent oxidation of the fish oil in the bottle. However, after you consume it this is woefully inadequate. Your body will tend to oxidize the fish oil and much larger doses of vitamin E are needed to prevent the fish oil from going rancid in your body.

Those of you who read the newsletter regularly know I'm a fan of the Carlson's brand of fish oil and cod liver oil, as I have seen clear and often substantial improvements in my patients who use it. Plus, Carlson's fish and cod liver oil is one of the few brands that put the extra vitamin E in it for you straight from the get-go, so you don't have to take extra vitamin E if you don't want to.

You can find the Carlson's fish oil or cod liver oil at your local health food store, or, for your convenience, in my Recommended Products section.

But Wait ... A Safe Source of Fish?

As I mentioned above, while fish would be an excellent omega-3 source, mercury levels in almost all fish have now hit dangerously high levels across the world, and the risk of this mercury to your health now outweighs the fish's omega-3 benefits.

However, after searching for a safe source of fish you can eat without having to worry about mercury levels and added toxins, I finally discovered one: Vital Choice Alaskan Wild Red Salmon. I had the salmon, which are harvested in Alaskan waters, tested through an independent lab and it was found to be free of toxins. I also tasted it in a variety of recipes, and I can now confidently and enthusiastically recommend this source to you!

Related Articles:

Fish Oil More Useful for Treating Inflammation Than Flax Seed Oil

Fish & Cod Liver Oil--Not Flax--Lower Inflammation