Is there any advantage to using pumpkin seed oil over fish oil?
Use pumpkin seed oil interchangeably with flax oil, but not fish oil due to the high concentrations of EPA/DHA.
Good question. Here’s my not so great answer:yes and no. Pumpkin seed oil has the (supposedly) ideal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 and it also has phytosterols that are good for the prostate. But fish oil has all that preformed DHA and EPA which saves our own liver the trouble of converting omega-3 through all those enzyme steps (LNA>SDA>?>EPA>?DHA). Supposedly only about 1-2% of LNA ever makes it all the way to DHA, so the fish oils are a big bonus due to the DHA content. So each oil mentioned has some advantage which is probably not what you wanted to hear. If you are trying to nail it down to just one oil to take (I just take them BOTH every day) I’ll give you another honest answer that some might see as a cop-out. Do the one that you think tastes better. I know, it’s not the “correct” thing to say, but having sold supplements via retail for a few years now I’ve found that if it doesn’t taste good most people just won’t stick with it (I’ll even make the same suggestion when asked about meal replacements-flame away, people). Sorry for the longwinded answer. I hope this helps…
According to paper T-mag #5, Pumpkin has much more omega-6 than omega-3. Not good.
Flax is 58% omega-3, 14% omega-6, and 12% omega-9. Pumpkin is 0-15% omega-3, 42-57% omega-6, and 34% omega-9 which is more “monos” than Berardi recommends. So if I’m reading this chart correctly, flax wins hands down. Fish oil wasn’t listed. FYI, hemp oil is pretty crappy too compared to flax. It also has a lot more omega-6 than omega-3(1:3). This chart came from Udo’s book and was reprinted in T-mag. Hope that helps you out.
TEK, I’m quite certain that UDO (as well as Sally Fallon and many other fat gurus) recommends a roughly 3/1 ratio of omega 6 to omega-3. The problem is that most Americans ALREADY have so much omega-6 in their diet that they need a good source of omega-3 to tip the scales back into balance. So hemp and pumpkin oils actually DO have the ideal ratios (for those that live in a perfect world 
) However, it seems like a lot of the hardcore types do live in said perfect world insofar as they carefully monitor their food intake. In short, for those who happen to be REALLY on top of things, get 3 parts omega6 for every one part omega-3. For those of you still wolfing down a lot of french fries and potato chips (rich in rancid, heat damaged omega-6’s, YUMMY!) get your ass to a bottle of flax oil quick! I’m not picking a fight over anything , just clearing up stuff. I hope this helps…
Good call with the flax oil. My memory told me that pumpkin seed oil was the next best oil source of omega-3s, but I rechecked the chart from Colgan’s Optimum Sports Nutrition and while pumpkinseed oil is the next best, it is quite a distance from flax. Flax is 54% omega-3, 15% omega-6, 22% monos, 9% saturated. Pumpkinseed is 15% omega-3, 45% omega-6, 32% monos and 8% saturated. Good call on that one. Flax oil and fish oil stand alone.
Marvin- They want you to use more omega-6 than 3??? Hmmm, I’m not sure. T-mag did an interview with Udo. I’ll look it up when I get the chance.
Check his book “Fats That Heal…”. I’m pretty certain that’s where I read his 3/1 (omega-6/omega-3) ratio recommendation.
I think the Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio is supposed to be 1:1. Of course, I also think that gasoline smells good.