Posted by desolationrower on May 7, 2011, at 20:57:20
In reply to Re: fish oil studies? » desolationrower, posted by SLS on May 7, 2011, at 7:05:22
> > Well if you put that into scholar.google.com you will have a lifetime's worth of reading. Checking the citations on wikipaedia or other well-referenced writeups is also a good place to start. as well as looking at the citations in a paper, and what papers cite a paper you are reading.
> >
> > i might look for EPA or DHA, if a paper doesn't mention those it is going to be tangential.
>
> I suspect that there is more to fish oil than just providing the building blocks of cell membranes. Some people get manic from it within the first day of taking it. It would seem that these omega fatty acids have pharmacological properties at supranutritional high dosages. I don't know. Maybe not.
>
> Can you shed any light on this subject?
>
>
> - ScottWell omega-3 (and omega-6) fats are the basis of eicosanoids, which have a lot of effects, including functioning as neurotransmitters & membranes. (omega-3 fats are both converted into them, and compete with omega-6 oils for the enzymes, reducing omega-6 based eicosanoid production). So you end up altering something like two dozen signals (plus the other effects).
So, while they do play a disproportionate role in the the formation of cells in the brain, they also are important for the formation of hormones in cellular signalling. But i wouldn't discount the cell membrane effects. I am not sure the cellular membrane function is well understood yet. I sort of forget most of what they do, the evidence is so overwhelming I wouldn't consider not taking or eating them. The thing I am interested in right now is the good & bad effects of their greater peroxizeability (being polyunsaturated makes them more vulnerable); this has both bad effects (creating toxins) and good (the peroxidized fatty acids may be involved in cellular signalling to increase insulin sensitivity & antioxidant systems. cycloxygenase, the enzyme NSAIDs inhibit, does something similar to w-3 & w-6 fatty acids).
-d/r
Better living through chemistry, socialism, and big phallic rockets (with a side of roquette)
poster:desolationrower
thread:984717
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20110502/msgs/984848.html