In this weeks issue:
Staying Faithful by TC
Out of Kilter II by Ian King
The Dead Pool, 2003 by the editors
Super Slow Training by David Barr
The Naked Truth by John M. Berardi
News and Reader Mail
Click here for issue 285!
SuperSlow Training!!!
Excelent article! I do enjoyed it. I never liked SuperFast Detraining…i mean…SST…
Great article on superslow!
I didn’t particularly like the sycophantic Udo praise. I get the feeling T-mag is going to end up retracting many of its comments when it comes to consuming n-3s. While we definitly need to balance out the poly’s relatively evenly, what makes supplementation necessary? How about eating clean and including fish and nuts in your diet? Easily oxidized fats like flax, sesame, etc, in huge quantities like some consume here might just be INCREASING the risk of cancer!
Udo’s blend appears to be absolutely pointless. For one, fish is a far healthier alternative (or cod liver oil). Why would you want to go consuming extra n-6 oils anyway??
-Zulu
“sycophantic Udo praise”? I thought he dissed Udo’s oil pretty good actually. Said flax was probably just as good in the long run.
As for the rest of your post Zulu, um, I think I’ll trust John Berardi. Sorry.
I may very well be wrong. But I think the other side of the debate should at least be addressed. I know I’d love to see an article on it…
-Zulu
Zulu,
I dont think my comments were unequivocal. In fact, I thought I made a fair comparison of the two oils highlighting the pros and cons of each.
To address your criticisms:
- Why would anyone want to add omega 6 to the diet?
Well, not only are most people deficient in omega 3’s, they’re also deficient in 6’s. I just reviewed the diets of 125 kinesiology and nutrition students and the mean omega 6 intake was about 7-10grams while the mean 3 intake was about 0.5-1g. The total poly intake compared to total fat was was usually less than 20% meaning they were getting about 60-70% of their fats from sats, 10-20% from monos, and 10-20% from polys. These ratios are horrible…they should be closer to 33%, 33%, 33%. Therefore more polys should be in the diet (both 3s and 6s) as should there be more monos. Flax and Udo’s are good choices to bump up polys while keeping sats at an appropriate level (imo, 33% of total fat intake).
- Fish is better than both…
Yes, fish is more potent as it doesnt need to be converted into DHA and EPA like LNA does. The conversion rate to DHA and EPA is low (2-10% depending on a lot of variables) and that makes fish a better choice to get your DHA and EPA. But it’s not a fish vs. flax. You need both. Fish for EPA and DHA and flax/Udo’s to provide the appropriate balance of 3s to 6s.
In the end, a number of things are imp:
-
the total amount of polys to sats and monos
-
the ratios of 3s to 6s
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the amt of EPA and DHA in the diet
The best way to achieve a diet that’s fat balanced (imo) is to eat lean meat to get your sats, Udos/Flax for 3s and 6s, Olive oil for monos, and take some fish oil caps.
Besides, the article was a product review, plain and simple. It wasnt supposed to be a fat debate.
I would only add that if one insists on taking all that PUFA, then they should take it along with some antioxidants (vitamin C, for example) or with a saturated fat like coconut oil that will help reduce oxidation of the oils.
Cod liver oil has natural antioxidants already in it, I might add.
An article on that would be interesting, indeed.
John,
I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I realize my comments were somewhat extreme but I’m glad they generated a response.
I’ve seen you mention the 1/3 percentage quite often. I was under the impression that the two polys should be consumed equally but nevertheless minimized. Perhaps you covered this in a previous article, in which case I must have missed it…
Anyway, my comment about the risk of excess polys was geared more towards generating a future article. I think the alledged increase in prostate cancer amongst those who consume a lot of polys is worth considering.
Cheers,
-Zulu
RE: SuperSlow
I remember when we kicked around the question of what population SST would be ideal for on MFW a few years ago. The ideal population would have to have an interest in moving light objects slowly. Our conclusion: SST is perfect for movers who are paid by the hour, but that’s about it.