Comments on: Tropicana to Sell Fishy Juice http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fishy-juice/ Serving up health and fitness insights (daily, of course) with a side of irreverence. Wed, 20 Aug 2008 17:25:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Stephan http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fishy-juice/#comment-7854 Stephan Mon, 10 Sep 2007 20:49:03 +0000 http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fishy-juice/#comment-7854 I think the OJ/Omega-3 idea is ludicrous, as is putting omega-3s in cereal. These polyunsaturated fats are long and very susceptible to oxidative damage (rancidity). That's why you can't cook with them (unless you're baking a whole fish, which is a bit different). Finely emulsifying them into an acidic environment like OJ sounds like a fast track to oxidation. In nature, omega-3s are closely guarded. In flax seeds, they're inside a tough outer coating and soaked in antioxidants. Grind up the seeds and leave them on the counter, and they'll go rancid shortly. In animals, omega-3s are inside membrane-bound vacuoles, inside membrane-bound fat cells, guarded by an array of antioxidant enzymes. Leave fish oil in the sun on your back porch and see what it smells like in a week. Leave a more saturated fat like coconut oil out in the sun and it will still taste good in 6 months. These are fragile oils and they don't tolerate being exposed to harsh environments. The best way to get them is from where they occur in nature: fish, freshly ground flax, walnuts etc. I think taking good quality fish oil is OK, but even that you have to be very careful with. I think the OJ/Omega-3 idea is ludicrous, as is putting omega-3s in cereal. These polyunsaturated fats are long and very susceptible to oxidative damage (rancidity). That’s why you can’t cook with them (unless you’re baking a whole fish, which is a bit different). Finely emulsifying them into an acidic environment like OJ sounds like a fast track to oxidation.

In nature, omega-3s are closely guarded. In flax seeds, they’re inside a tough outer coating and soaked in antioxidants. Grind up the seeds and leave them on the counter, and they’ll go rancid shortly. In animals, omega-3s are inside membrane-bound vacuoles, inside membrane-bound fat cells, guarded by an array of antioxidant enzymes. Leave fish oil in the sun on your back porch and see what it smells like in a week. Leave a more saturated fat like coconut oil out in the sun and it will still taste good in 6 months.

These are fragile oils and they don’t tolerate being exposed to harsh environments. The best way to get them is from where they occur in nature: fish, freshly ground flax, walnuts etc. I think taking good quality fish oil is OK, but even that you have to be very careful with.

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