Vege DHA
Vege DHA is the first all vegan source Omega 3 oil with
added vegan source DHA in a Veggie-Gel capsule!
Features & Benefits
* Vegetarian source of DHA and Omega 3 Oils
* DHA from Vegetarian Source harvested from a sustainable, controlled, farmed
environment
* Free of oceanic contaminates
* Free of PCB containing fish oils and no fishy aftertaste
* 100% Vegetarian "Liquid Veggie-Gels" softgel capsules
What Do Good Oils Do?
Good Oils or Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) are vital for eye and brain
development, hormone production, cardiovascular support, healthy skin and hair,
transport and breakdown of cholesterol, control of inflammation, joint health
and emotional well-being. Essential fatty acids also help to regulate insulin
and appear to minimize damage to the heart, eyes, nerves, and kidneys in all
forms of diabetes. Essential Fatty Acids are considered a concentrated source of
energy and are stored as glycogen deposits in the muscles and liver. Enzymes can
convert the glycogen into glucose to burn as energy.
The body cannot create Essential Fatty Acids they must come from your diet. Some
of the best foods containing these fats are fish, flax seed oil, algae oil,
pumpkin seed oil and sunflower seed oil. There are three major types of omega 3
fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The body converts ALA to EPA and DHA, which are the
two types of omega-3 fatty acids used in the body. The Omega 6 fatty acid is
Linoleic Acid and Omega 9 fatty acid is Oleic Acid.
Recognizing Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) Deficiency
The signals from your body telling you that you are deficient in EFA's may be
hard to read. The initial symptoms of deficiency may be very subtle, eventually
working up to chronic diseases. It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of the
general population is deficient in essential fatty acids.
Some signs and symptoms of deficiency include: lack of energy; skin conditions
such as eczema, dry skin and inflamed mucous membranes, constipation, weak
immune system, depression, hormonal imbalances, arthritis, digestive disorders,
dry hair, lack of concentration, anger, and cardiovascular conditions.
A Closer Look at EFAs and DHA Improved Brain and Neurological Function
Every cell in the human body contains a phospholipid coating called the neuronal
membrane. This special layer is made up of a unique combination of Essential
Fatty Acids.
The phospholipid layer helps to send and receive messages generated by the
cells. A person suffering from inadequate EFA intake lives with a broken message
system. It is no wonder many people cannot concentrate, sit still, are quick to
anger, or are just generally unhappy.
When a person eats a diet high in saturated fats and trans fats the neuronal
membrane becomes hard and inflexible; this causes the communication from cell to
cell to become unclear. A growing number of studies have shown the positive
influence EFA's have on brain performance. Brain cells in children and adults
respond very well to an essential fatty acid called DHA. DHA is a long chain
polyunsaturated omega 3 fatty acid. The brain is 60% fat tissue and 30% of the
structural lipid in the gray matter of the brain is composed of DHA. When the
body receives DHA, it helps the brain to learn and concentrate. DHA is also
needed for visual function and retina health. New research is also showing that
DHA may help maintain the brain structure over the long term and help ward off
dementia. It is important to remember that mental performance can be improved at
any age.
Depression
Depression is an extremely complex disorder, which can be influenced by
genetics, life situations, environmental conditions, individual brain make-up
and nutrition. There is strong evidence supporting a connection between omega 3
fatty acids and various forms of depression. The National Institute of Health,
located in Washington D.C., recorded that the subjects with the lowest levels of
Essential Fatty Acids reported the highest levels of depression.
Omega 3's promote a chemical known as Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF)
This factor plays a role in the growth, integrity and survival of the developed
adult nervous system. Low levels of BDNF are associated with more severe
psychological depression. An omega 3 deficiency also decreases the normal amount
of blood flow to the brain, which carries nutrients. It is also believed that
people who experience depression have compromised blood flow to a number of
brain regions. In addition, an omega 3 deficiency leads to a breakdown in the
normal functioning of the blood-brain barrier. When this breakdown occurs, the
chemicals that are usually stopped from entering the brain gain access, and once
inside these chemicals can cause damage and disrupt communication between the
cells.
The Hormone EFA Connection
Hormones need EFA's to be synthesized. Many people do not understand the
importance of EFA's and balanced hormones. Women believe that PMS is just the
way life is. This is not true; many symptoms can be completely eliminated by
examining the diet and giving the body high quality EFA's. Men, you have
hormones too, and they also need EFA's. Teenage acne is a symptom of the
hormones becoming acclimated in the body.
If Essential Fatty Acids are added to the diet, in many cases the acne is
greatly reduced.
Add good food choices to their diet and the acne often goes away completely.
Better Cardiovascular Health
Essential fatty acids are important in cardiovascular health, as they can help
lower blood lipid and triglyceride levels, and in many cases can elevate the
good cholesterol. It has been documented that low levels of DHA are an indicator
for increased risk of death from coronary disease. The response of the body to
DHA supplementation was investigated in a double blind, randomized,
placebo-controlled intervention study. After intervention 69% of DHA
supplemented subjects reached healthy levels of omega 3s. There have also been
many studies indicating that flaxseed oil, another source of omega 3's, is very
effective at lowering high blood pressure. As well, people with the lowest
degree of coronary disease have been shown to have the highest concentration of
omega 3 in their blood.
Weight Loss
Researchers from the Institute of Endocrinology in the Czech Republic showed
that omega 3 fatty acids added to a low-calorie diet for three weeks (versus
placebo) resulted in greater weight loss compared to only the low calorie diet.
Other Functions of DHA
Pregnant and lactating women should supplement with at least 300 mg of DHA, as
studies show that it promotes brain development in the fetus and infant. Also,
new mothers adding DHA to their diet report fewer cases of post-partum
depression.
Intestinal Health
New research has shown a very important relationship between intestinal bacteria
and omega 3 fatty acids. Flax seed oil can increase Lactobacillus Acidophilus.
This bacteria is very important and is involved in vitamin synthesis, the
detoxification of toxic material; it stimulates the immune system and protects
the intestines from bad bacteria.
Diabetes Support
Omega 3 oils appear to improve insulin action. Studies show that frequent
consumption of a small amount of omega 3 oils protects against the development
of type 2 diabetes Part of this protection may be due to the fact omega 3 keep
the cell membrane healthy, which in turn causes reduced insulin binding to
receptors on cellular membrane.
Vegetarian EFA Blend
The 3 9 EFA blend in this North Coast Naturals formula provides the highest
concentration of EFAs from 100% vegetarian approved sources including: flax seed
oil, organic pumpkin seed oil and organic sunflower oil ﾖ no synthetic EFAs or
fish oils. We use no solvents and our oils are all cold pressed to preserve
product integrity and freshness. The formula is built to provide a higher ratio
(2.75:1:1) of Omega 3 oils to Omega 6 and Omega 9, since research has shown that
our bodies are more deficient in omega 3 essential fatty acids than the omega 6
or omega 9 oils.
Vegetarian DHA
DHA, up until recently, was only available in concentration through certain
types of fish. This form of supplement began making dramatic differences in
people lives. So dramatic were these changes that fish oils supplements became
one of the most widely used supplements. But what about the vegetarians, the
people allergic to fish or people who were genuinely concerned about the fish
population of our planet, what are they to do?
Well, thanks to some like-minded people, another concentrated form, once again a
gift from the sea, was made available to consumers in the form of algae oil.
Life's DHA has developed a vegetarian source of DHA, derived from the algae
Schizochitrium sp. Their FDA inspected plant grows this form of algae under
strict conditions. It is then harvested and refined thorough a series of all
organic processes to create a highly concentrated form of purified DHA oil.
Research has shown that the fish DHA and algae-based DHA have produced the same
effect. In a recent study the two forms of DHA were assessed for
bioavailability. A 28-day randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study
compared bioavailability, at doses of 200, 600 and 1000 mg. The bioavailability
was based on changes in plasma phospholipid and erythrocyte DHA levels. The
algae oil delivered amounts of DHA equivalent to that of the fish oil.
