If you’ve checked out FishOilBlog.com before, you know that a flood of research published in recent years confirms the heart/health benefits of omega-3s (and you may have also picked up on the fact that the modern Western diet is severely deficient in omega-3s and high in omega-6s!).

Both fish oil and flaxseed oil contain omega-3, but only fish oils contain EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). These long-chain omega-3s play an extremely important role in the normal function of the heart, brain, eyes, nervous system, kidney and liver. (DHA is also a key constituent of cell membranes, especially in the brain and eyes.) Flaxseed oil, on the other hand, contains ALA, a short-chain omega-3. In order to derive any health benefits from flaxseed oil, the human body must first go through an extra step converting the ALA to EPA/DHA.