Pre-natals - Page 2

[Ks Mama]

I'm taking Rainbow Light Prenatal One - they are huge, but only have to take once per day. Also flax seed oil.

[wombatclay]

willoLevin- Flaxseed has mixed reviews for use during pregnancy. Flax can have an impact on estrogen levels and so it can cause complications during pregnancy. Of course, soy has a stronger estrogenic impact so it's sort of a mixed bag!

Some studies show that a "normal" dose of flax during pregnancy (assuming you've been taking flax oil already) doesn't seem to cause problems, but of course the question becomes "what is a normal dose"?

Since I can't eat the fish oil, my doctor okayed the Flax oil during my last pregnancy. I'm hoping it's okay again this time since I think it's an important supplement for me to be taking.

But the potential risks are certainly something to be aware of!

[txbikegrrl]

When I was trying to decide which Omega3 to take, I found several articles explaining how flax is not converted to the correct substance (?!?) to assist with neural development. The brief article below is definitely not a great scientific citation, it was just the first, shortest thing I could find right now.

Does anyone have better info?!? For now I'm taking DHA.

(Note: I do know for mood stabilization only Omega3 from fish has been proven to be effective for mild to moderate emotional disturbances... )

Understanding the differences – flax seed oil vs fish oil.
It’s the ages-old debate of flax seed oil vs fish oil. Which one is better, which one should you take? The questions abound.

Are the Omega 3 oils in flax seed oil the same as the Omega 3 oils found in fish oil? The answer is a resounding no. While the Omega-3 fats in flax seed oil and fish oil are related, they do have a different chemical makeup.

There are three main types of fatty acids. EPA, DHA and ALA. Flax seed oil vs fish oil is as simple as EPA and DHA vs ALA.

The Omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil are the EPA and DHA fatty acids and the Omega 3 fatty acids in flax seed oil are the ALA fatty acids.

It is harder for your body to get the Omega 3 out of the ALA fatty acids and that’s why it’s so important that any Omega 3 supplement you take be derived from fish oil like the supplement available at this website.

There is no harm in taking both flax seed oil and fish oil, if you’re taking the supplements to get the benefits touted for Omega 3 then you probably would be well off just taking fish oil supplements.

When taking fish oil supplements, make sure that the supplements you are taking are pharmaceutical grade fish oil. This will ensure that you’re getting quality fish oil supplements without getting any nasty toxins left in the fish.

In the battle of flax seed oil vs fish oil, both have their benefits, but fish oil definitely wins the battle.

[wombatclay]

In the battle of flax seed oil vs fish oil, both have their benefits, but fish oil definitely wins the battle.

Unless, of course, the fish oil would put you in the hospital with anaphylactic shock!

You can find a lot about DHA versus ALA in PubMed Medline (a free online database of scholarly publications...most are abstracts only, but some are full text online). Basically the body processes the two acids in different ways, and the two seem to have strong and weak points. For example, studies show that ALA lowers "bad" cholesterol more than DHA does, and ALA seems to have a great impact on cancer prevention. But DHA seems to play a bigger role in neural development and is easier for the body to process.

It's important to have a healthy diet that includes a wide variety of foods and nutrients though...just about everyone agrees that getting things like DHA and ALA from whole food sources is better than going with the "supplement route". That said...we all know that fish can be a tricky proposition during pregnancy (even if you're not allergic!) so if you CAN use a fish oil it's a good option...but make sure it's absolutely pure and not contaminated with mercury, lead, or other toxins and that it's been gathered in an envrionmentally sustainable manner.