North Coast Naturals | Vege DHA

Vege DHA

Vege DHA is the first all vegan source Omega 3 oil with added vegan source DHA in a Veggie-Gel capsule.

What Do Good Oils Do?

Good Oils or Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's) are vital for eye and brain development, hormone production, cardiovascular support, healthy skin and hair, transport and breakdown of cholesterol, control of inflammation, joint health and emotional well-being. Essential fatty acids also help to regulate insulin and appear to minimize damage to the heart, eyes, nerves, and kidneys in all forms of diabetes. Essential Fatty Acids are considered a concentrated source of energy and are stored as glycogen deposits in the muscles and liver. Enzymes can convert the glycogen into glucose to burn as energy.

The body cannot create Essential Fatty Acids they must come from your diet. Some of the best foods containing these fats are fish, flax seed oil, algae oil, pumpkin seed oil and sunflower seed oil. There are three major types of omega 3 fatty acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The body converts ALA to EPA and DHA, which are the two types of omega-3 fatty acids used in the body. The Omega 6 fatty acid is Linoleic Acid and Omega 9 fatty acid is Oleic Acid.

Recognizing Essential Fatty Acid (EFA) Deficiency

The signals from your body telling you that you are deficient in EFA's may be hard to read. The initial symptoms of deficiency may be very subtle, eventually working up to chronic diseases. It is estimated that 80 to 90 percent of the general population is deficient in essential fatty acids.

Some signs and symptoms of deficiency include: lack of energy; skin conditions such as eczema, dry skin and inflamed mucous membranes, constipation, weak immune system, depression, hormonal imbalances, arthritis, digestive disorders, dry hair, lack of concentration, anger, and cardiovascular conditions.

A Closer Look at EFAs and DHA Improved Brain and Neurological Function

Every cell in the human body contains a phospholipid coating called the neuronal membrane. This special layer is made up of a unique combination of Essential Fatty Acids.

The phospholipid layer helps to send and receive messages generated by the cells. A person suffering from inadequate EFA intake lives with a broken message system. It is no wonder many people cannot concentrate, sit still, are quick to anger, or are just generally unhappy.

When a person eats a diet high in saturated fats and trans fats the neuronal membrane becomes hard and inflexible; this causes the communication from cell to cell to become unclear. A growing number of studies have shown the positive influence EFA's have on brain performance. Brain cells in children and adults respond very well to an essential fatty acid called DHA. DHA is a long chain polyunsaturated omega 3 fatty acid. The brain is 60% fat tissue and 30% of the structural lipid in the gray matter of the brain is composed of DHA. When the body receives DHA, it helps the brain to learn and concentrate. DHA is also needed for visual function and retina health. New research is also showing that DHA may help maintain the brain structure over the long term and help ward off dementia. It is important to remember that mental performance can be improved at any age.

Depression

Depression is an extremely complex disorder, which can be influenced by genetics, life situations, environmental conditions, individual brain make-up and nutrition. There is strong evidence supporting a connection between omega 3 fatty acids and various forms of depression. The National Institute of Health, located in Washington D.C., recorded that the subjects with the lowest levels of Essential Fatty Acids reported the highest levels of depression.

Omega 3's promote a chemical known as Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) This factor plays a role in the growth, integrity and survival of the developed adult nervous system. Low levels of BDNF are associated with more severe psychological depression. An omega 3 deficiency also decreases the normal amount of blood flow to the brain, which carries nutrients. It is also believed that people who experience depression have compromised blood flow to a number of brain regions. In addition, an omega 3 deficiency leads to a breakdown in the normal functioning of the blood-brain barrier. When this breakdown occurs, the chemicals that are usually stopped from entering the brain gain access, and once inside these chemicals can cause damage and disrupt communication between the cells.

The Hormone EFA Connection

Hormones need EFA's to be synthesized. Many people do not understand the importance of EFA's and balanced hormones. Women believe that PMS is just the way life is. This is not true; many symptoms can be completely eliminated by examining the diet and giving the body high quality EFA's. Men, you have hormones too, and they also need EFA's. Teenage acne is a symptom of the hormones becoming acclimated in the body.

If Essential Fatty Acids are added to the diet, in many cases the acne is greatly reduced.

Add good food choices to their diet and the acne often goes away completely.

Better Cardiovascular Health

Essential fatty acids are important in cardiovascular health, as they can help lower blood lipid and triglyceride levels, and in many cases can elevate the good cholesterol. It has been documented that low levels of DHA are an indicator for increased risk of death from coronary disease. The response of the body to DHA supplementation was investigated in a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled intervention study. After intervention 69% of DHA supplemented subjects reached healthy levels of omega 3s. There have also been many studies indicating that flaxseed oil, another source of omega 3's, is very effective at lowering high blood pressure. As well, people with the lowest degree of coronary disease have been shown to have the highest concentration of omega 3 in their blood.

Weight Loss

Researchers from the Institute of Endocrinology in the Czech Republic showed that omega 3 fatty acids added to a low-calorie diet for three weeks (versus placebo) resulted in greater weight loss compared to only the low calorie diet.

Other Functions of DHA

Pregnant and lactating women should supplement with at least 300 mg of DHA, as studies show that it promotes brain development in the fetus and infant. Also, new mothers adding DHA to their diet report fewer cases of post-partum depression.

Intestinal Health

New research has shown a very important relationship between intestinal bacteria and omega 3 fatty acids. Flax seed oil can increase Lactobacillus Acidophilus. This bacteria is very important and is involved in vitamin synthesis, the detoxification of toxic material; it stimulates the immune system and protects the intestines from bad bacteria.

Diabetes Support

Omega 3 oils appear to improve insulin action. Studies show that frequent consumption of a small amount of omega 3 oils protects against the development of type 2 diabetes Part of this protection may be due to the fact omega 3 keep the cell membrane healthy, which in turn causes reduced insulin binding to receptors on cellular membrane.

Vegetarian EFA Blend

The 3 9 EFA blend in this North Coast Naturals formula provides the highest concentration of EFAs from 100% vegetarian approved sources including: flax seed oil, organic pumpkin seed oil and organic sunflower oil – no synthetic EFAs or fish oils. We use no solvents and our oils are all cold pressed to preserve product integrity and freshness. The formula is built to provide a higher ratio (2.75:1:1) of Omega 3 oils to Omega 6 and Omega 9, since research has shown that our bodies are more deficient in omega 3 essential fatty acids than the omega 6 or omega 9 oils.

Vegetarian DHA

DHA, up until recently, was only available in concentration through certain types of fish. This form of supplement began making dramatic differences in people lives. So dramatic were these changes that fish oils supplements became one of the most widely used supplements. But what about the vegetarians, the people allergic to fish or people who were genuinely concerned about the fish population of our planet, what are they to do?

Well, thanks to some like-minded people, another concentrated form, once again a gift from the sea, was made available to consumers in the form of algae oil. Life's DHA™ has developed a vegetarian source of DHA, derived from the algae Schizochitrium sp. Their FDA inspected plant grows this form of algae under strict conditions. It is then harvested and refined thorough a series of all organic processes to create a highly concentrated form of purified DHA oil. Research has shown that the fish DHA and algae-based DHA have produced the same effect. In a recent study the two forms of DHA were assessed for bioavailability. A 28-day randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel group study compared bioavailability, at doses of 200, 600 and 1000 mg. The bioavailability was based on changes in plasma phospholipid and erythrocyte DHA levels. The algae oil delivered amounts of DHA equivalent to that of the fish oil.

Features & Benefits

Vegetarian source of DHA and Omega 3 Oils
DHA from Vegetarian Source harvested from a sustainable, controlled, farmed environment
Free of oceanic contaminates
Free of PCB containing fish oils and no fishy aftertaste
100% Vegetarian "Liquid Veggie-Gels™" softgel capsules

References The Brain Diet, ND, FRSH, Cucumberland House 2006
Encyclopedia of nutritional supplements, Michael T. Murray, N.D. Prima publishing, 1996
Feskens EJM, Bowles CH, and Kromhout D, Inverse association between fish intake and the risk of glucose intolerance in normoglycemic elderly men and woman. Diabetes Care 14, 935-941,1991.

FAQ

Can you get high from North Coast Naturals Hemp Protein? Will it show up in your tox screens?
No. North Coast Naturals Hemp Protein is derived from non-THC hemp plants.