does anyone know why it's unhealthy to have dry skin?

[Suzanne]

Returning to dry skin and vitamin D synthesis, this link offers a rather nice explanation: http://www.cholesterol-and-health.com/Vitamin-D.html. The skin lipid required for vitamin D synthesis is a form of cholesterol. I suspect that applying oils to the skin wouldn't improve ability to make vitamin D3, as these are cholesterol-free.

Just to expand on the omega-3 provided by flax and other plant foods, this is ALA. Many people have almost no ability to convert ALA into EPA and DHA. While the body can, at a pinch, use ALA, it has different physical and chemical properties that may make it less desirable for making cell walls, myelin sheathing for nerves, and structural components of the brain. EPA and DHA are also specifically needed for formation, repair, and functioning of the retina.

[pony mom]

Since December I've been eating 2 Tbsp. of ground flax almost daily and my skin was much softer and soooo much smoother than before. It may have even calmed my mild Rosacea, although I started using something from La Roche-Posay that helped as well. And my joints feel better too!

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Suzanne,

Just wondering, what can be used to convert the ALA? Or is there something else along with the Flaxseed that can be used? Thanks...

[Suzanne]

Tussies, it's my understanding that it's a genetic inability to convert ALA to EPA and DHA. Some people simply don't make the enzymes necessary for the conversion, while others don't make enough. The conversion is aided by eating high-quality saturated fat. For you, as a vegan, that would be coconut oil, which provides medium-length but not long-chain fatty acids. If you're doing smoothies, put flax and coconut oil into that. I've pasted in the abstract from a useful paper. Try that for 90 days - you'll know for sure at the end of that time if it's helping and it will do no harm at all! There are vegan supplements, derived from algae, that provide EPA and DHA. DHA is really important for maintaining the eyes in good health. The literature agrees that using vegetable oils high in omega-6 reduces the conversion rate. Avoid oils from corn, sunflower, soy, safflower, sesame, and the blended oils.

Conversion of ALA to EPA also requires vitamin B3, vitamin B6, vitamin C, zinc, and magnesium. As plant foods are poor sources of zinc compared to animal foods, vegans need to pay particular attention to this.

This page has a nice graphic: http://drbenkim.com/articles-omega-3-fatty-acids.htm

Jack Norris's omega-3 page for vegans is quite useful; there are 2 points that need clarification. The first is the meat part, the second is the pregnancy part.

Meat itself is fairly low in EPA and DHA. These are fat-soluble vitamins, so one needs to eat the fat as well as the lean. Grassfed meats are much higher in omega-3s than CAFO produced meats. Bone marrow is a rich source of EPA and DHA. I don't eat fish or seafood, so I get my omega-3s from bone marrow; I make big pots of bone broth and use this for cooking, as well as just for eating on its own.

Regarding pregnancy: women love to hate their hips and thighs. These fatty regions are actually the storage depots for the omega-3s; we accumulate these during adolescence and early maturity. If our diets don't provide enough omega-3s during pregnancy, our bodies draw from these stores, as they also do during lactation - human breast milk is a good source of essential fatty acids; actually, human breast milk contains 214 different fats. However, these stores are not inexhaustible. Repeated pregnancies and lactations can deplete them, and for thin, poorly-nourished women, there may only be enough for one or two pregnancies. It's also not necessarily true that the baby can use other fats to construct its vital tissues and replace them later - what if there is no good source later? The first 1,000 days (from conception to 3 years old) are vital. Cognitive impairment can be permanent.

It's worth noting that vegans who use a lot of ALA-rich foods, like flax or walnuts, are at higher risk of eye problems.

http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/omega3


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9637947
Abstract
A diet including 2-3 portions of fatty fish per week, which corresponds to the intake of 1.25 g EPA (20:5n-3) + DHA (22:6n-3) per day, has been officially recommended on the basis of epidemiological findings showing a beneficial role of these n-3 long-chain PUFA in the prevention of cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases. The parent fatty acid ALA (18:3n-3), found in vegetable oils such as flaxseed or rapeseed oil, is used by the human organism partly as a source of energy, partly as a precursor of the metabolites, but the degree of conversion appears to be unreliable and restricted. More specifically, most studies in humans have shown that whereas a certain, though restricted, conversion of high doses of ALA to EPA occurs, conversion to DHA is severely restricted. The use of ALA labelled with radioisotopes suggested that with a background diet high in saturated fat conversion to long-chain metabolites is approximately 6% for EPA and 3.8% for DHA. With a diet rich in n-6 PUFA, conversion is reduced by 40 to 50%. It is thus reasonable to observe an n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio not exceeding 4-6. Restricted conversion to DHA may be critical since evidence has been increasing that this long-chain metabolite has an autonomous function, e.g. in the brain, retina and spermatozoa where it is the most prominent fatty acid. In neonates deficiency is associated with visual impairment, abnormalities in the electroretinogram and delayed cognitive development. In adults the potential role of DHA in neurological function still needs to be investigated in depth. Regarding cardiovascular risk factors DHA has been shown to reduce triglyceride concentrations. These findings indicate that future attention will have to focus on the adequate provision of DHA which can reliably be achieved only with the supply of the preformed long-chain metabolite.

[Zoe Girl]

I would be concerned about having cracks on the skin an a infection setting in...Just as another poster mentioned

Thanks...christine

i haven't chined in yet but i am the mom of a grown kiddo with severe excema. it started when she was 2 months old and she has never outgrown it. she is really allergic to a lot of things and it shows up in her skin. when she was 2 years old we could not keep her skin whole and she got a staff infection covering her body. they actually let us use some steroids which is not recommended at that age but it was so bad. i have pictures of her with her legs wrapped in gauze to keep the lotions in and infection out. we went through some big methods of how to keep her allergies down and her skin whole over the years.

As an adult it flairs up and sometimes calms down. She often has finger skin cracking from just hand washing and doing some dishes at work. i give her bottles of flax seed oil a couple times a year, that is one of the only natural remedies we have seen work. She is allergic to fuzzy animals which shows up as lanolin in lotions and growing green things which is ingredients like calendula in natural lotions. and of course any fragrance is a bad idea. Now there is one new lotion that is affordable on the market she can use! she always gets lotions or gift cards for them as presents since it can be expensive on a young person salary to buy all these.

[Tammy]

" first 1,000 days (from conception to 3 years old) "

Wouldn't that be ~1300 days?

[Suzanne]

" first 1,000 days (from conception to 3 years old) "

Wouldn't that be ~1300 days?

You're right! First 3 years of life, from conception.

[Tussiemussies]

Thank you Suzanne for going very in-depth about the subject. You and resistors are a storehouse of information on topics that I love. I am going to read over the url that you gave me but I am wondering how much
ALA rich foods are safe for consumption since you mentioned eye damage.

So sorry Zoe for what your daughter has lived through. It must have been so hard on her and for you to see her like that. Glad that she is not as affected now...

[lessisbest]

Zoe Girl - Was your daughter ever tested (blood test) for wheat/gluten intolerance, or has she ever tried a gluten-free diet? Unfortunately, even if she was tested they only test for the ONE most common protein, while there are 17 proteins in wheat. They skip the other 16 proteins and she could be sensitive to any one of the 17 proteins and an intolerance can contribute to her skin issues. Has she ever done an elimination diet?

[Suzanne]

Tussies, Jack Norris suggests daily amounts for ALA rich foods. There's quite a lot in leafy greens and other plant foods, so only small amounts of concentrated forms may be necessary.