Posted by Larry Hoover on January 21, 2007, at 9:17:09
In reply to Fish oil aborption, posted by saturn on January 11, 2007, at 20:59:33
> How about fish oil? Is it necesary to take it with a meal for absorption? (The only thing I would see to really avoid would be fiber with fish oil.)
Yes, necessary. Unless you enjoy rancid fish flavoured burps, and the idea of wasted food potential.
> To summarize:
>
> 1. Would fish oil be properly absorbed if taken on an empty stomach?If taken on an empty stomach, hydrochloric acid would attack the triglyceride structure, and the unsaturated double bonds which make the fish oil health-promoting. The triglyceride would be hydrolyzed to release free fatty acids, and the oxidation of the double bonds would cleave the fatty acids into short-chain aldehydes and ketones, which are volatile. The gases produced taste of rancid fish. Errrppp!
If instead eaten with a meal, the other substances present would buffer and physically protect the vulnerable fats, allowing them to pass into the duodenum where the acid is neutralized. As they enter the small intestine, fat sensors trigger the release of bile from the gall bladder, and the fats are hyrolyzed and emulsified for uptake.
The key is to have enough fat to trigger bile release, so taking fish oil with a meal containing other fats is a good idea. The fish oil quantity itself might be insufficient cause the gall bladder to contract.
> 2. If taken on an empty stomach, might the omega 3 fats be used for energy before they can reach the brain and other target tissues?The damaged fatty acids would go to energy, yes.
> Thanks...Peace...Saturn.
>Welcome.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:721498
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070114/msgs/724735.html