how much dha in sardines?

[yossarian]

how much dha do sardines have? thanks

[Montygram]

You had better hope there isn't much, if you are eating them.

For example:

"...addition of cod liver oil to to the diet elevated the rate
of peroxidation by 20-fold."

And that was on top of the 10-fold increase over rats on the
fat free diet (when corn oil was added.

Source: from the text of the following:

Free Radic Biol Med. 1988;5(2):95-111.

A role for dietary lipids and antioxidants in the activation
of carcinogens.

Gower JD.

Division of Comparative Medicine, Clinical Research Centre,
Harrow, Middlesex, U.K.

The ways in which dietary polyunsaturated fats and
antioxidants affect the balance between activation and
detoxification of environmental precarcinogens is discussed,
with particular reference to the polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbon benzo(a)pyrene. The structure and composition of
membranes and their susceptibility to peroxidation is
dependent on the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of
the cell and its antioxidant status, both of which are
determined to a large degree by dietary intake of these
compounds. An increase in the PUFA content of membranes
stimulates the oxidation of precarcinogens to reactive
intermediates by affecting the configuration and induction of
membrane-bound enzymes (e.g., the mixed-function oxidase
system and epoxide hydratase); providing increased
availability of substrates (hydroperoxides) for peroxidases
that cooxidise carcinogens (e.g., prostaglandin synthetase and
P-450 peroxidase); and increasing the likelihood of direct
activation reactions between peroxyl radicals and
precarcinogens. Antioxidants, on the other hand, protect
against lipid peroxidation, scavenge oxygen-derived free
radicals and reactive carcinogenic species. In addition some
synthetic antioxidants exert specific effects on enzymes,
which results in increased detoxification and reduced rates of
activation. The balance between dietary polyunsaturated fats,
antioxidants and the initiation of carcinogenesis is discussed
in relation to animal models of chemical carcinogenesis and
the epidemiology of human cancer.

Biochemist Ray Peat has cited much older studies, such as how
dogs fed fish oil all died of cancer:

"Fifty years ago, it was found that a large amount of cod
liver oil in dogs' diet increased their death rate from cancer
by 20 times, from the usual 5% to 100%. A diet rich in fish
oil causes intense production of toxic lipid peroxides, and
has been observed to reduce a man's sperm count to zero. [H.
Sinclair, Prog. Lipid Res. 25, 667, 1989.]"

Source: http://www.healthythyroid.com/vegetableoils.htm

Stop listening to the hype (mostly from people who want to
sell you supplements) and start doing your own thinking
and research!

[Montygram]

If you read the Gower study, you will understand why this is
not the case. A healthy body will adapt, and sometimes idiot
researchers use this to say that something "raises antioxidant
levels," but that cannot be sustained. First, vitamin E levels
fall, then SOD activity picks up, but then there's not enough
selenium, magnesium, zinc, etc. and cancer's on its way. Or
something else that's worse. Gower explains how the omega 3
and 6 PUFAs activate processes that generate carcinogens in
vivo. He shows that this does not happen when animals are fed
butter or coconut oil. If you are serious about this, stop
posting and start reading. Your local library can probably get
you a copy of this study, or perhaps a local university
library has it. After you read it, then post back what your
thoughts are.

[Montygram]

Here's the abstract of the study you cite. From the abstract,
it sounds like the kinds of papers I've been citing for years.
If you think they are saying that consuming fish oil is not
potentially dangerous, please quote the exact statement. Fish
oil in general is so unstable that cancer cells can't use it
to grow. As I've stated many times here, fish oil appears to
be similar to chemotherapy, that is, poison. If you think it's
so great, go ahead and subject yourself to chemotherapy -
that's what eating more than small amounts of fish oil does to
your body. The evidence is there, and what I cited above is
just the tip of the evidenciary iceberg here. Yes, it's true
that if you eat massive amounts of the right antioxidants, you
might be able to avoid damaging yourself, but nobody knows
exactly how to do this. Since there is no evidence to suggest
that fish oil should be consumed for any reason (except to
inhibit arachidonic acid metabolization, which can be
accomplished in far safer ways), the only reason to do so is
because the snake oil salesmen of yesterday have become the
fish oil salesmen of today. So if you keep eating a high PUFA
diet, that fish oil might come in handy - it will be a lot
cheaper than chemotherapy, and in a nation like the USA, with
no healthcare for tens of millions, that's not something to
sneeze at.

Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 14, Issue 4
325-335, Copyright =A9 1995 by American College of Nutrition

JOURNAL ARTICLE Fish oil, lipid peroxidation and mammary
tumor growth

M=2E J. Gonzalez University of Puerto Rico, School of Public
Health, Dept. Human Development, San Juan 00936.

There is evidence that the level and especially the type of
dietary fat can be an important determinant of mammary tumor
development and growth. Diets containing high levels of fish
oil have been shown to inhibit or suppress mammary tumor
growth. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain this
modulatory activity of dietary fish oil or fats in general on
tumor growth; of special interest is lipid peroxidation. The
oxidation of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids present in
fish oil, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can produce an array of secondary
products of lipid oxidation that may possess a cytostatic or
cytolytic capacity.

[Just Cocky]

On 22 Aug 2005 17:31:07 -0700, "montygram"
<nazztrader@lycos.com> wrote:
>
>You had better hope there isn't much, if you are eating them.
>
>For example:
>
>"...addition of cod liver oil to to the diet elevated the
>rate of peroxidation by 20-fold."
>

Maybe peroxidation of of fish oils is a good thing? For
example: http://www.jacn.org/cgi/content/abstract/14/4/325

[Mr-Natural]

montygram wrote:
> You had better hope there isn't much, if you are
> eating them.

If you are NOT going to answer the question then don't
reply, Dim-Wit.

The rule of thumb is that two or 3 servings of a cold water
fatty fish like sardines, provides all the Omega-3 EFAs any
human being needs.

You need them, but the actual required amount is quite small.

Exercise does a better job of reducing inflammation then
taking excessive amounts of Omega-3 EFAs does. Simply cut
off excess consumption of your Omega-6 FAs by STOP eating
junk food.

Further, trying to chronically control your cholesterol blood
levels by taking huge amounts of fish oil capsules, in lieu of
exercising, is just plain stupid in my humble opinion. :)

[Gmcarter]

On 22 Aug 2005 17:31:07 -0700, "montygram"
<nazztrader@lycos.com> wrote:

>You had better hope there isn't much, if you are eating them.

You'd best ignore montygram.

Enjoy some sardines.