Hey all! And welcome back to another week of 3 Question Friday!!

This week, I received 3 great questions from Jess, John and Anni - who won themselves a $20 gift card to use on our online store www.13seeds.com.au. This weeks questions were:

1. Jess asked “I suffer from acne is there any way that hemp seeds can help?

2. John explained, “I’m 70 years old, I work out 6 times a week but don’t have the energy or motivation some days, can you help?”

3. Anni was curious “Hi should I take the hemp seed oil caps before, with or after food. And is it 3-4 as a single dose or one 3-4 times a day?”
 
 

1. Hemp Seeds and resolving Acne.

Keeping in mind that acne is an inflammatory skin disorder, the first thing we should do is to remove inflammation! And guess what? Inflammation can found in the diet.

Refined sugars can contribute to inflammation and acne. While the case is still out for dairy, there are some studies that indicate that dairy may play a role in acne development (1) (2). 

Also, really important for healthy skin are vitamins (vitamins A, C, B, E), minerals (zinc, selenium), essential fatty acids (found in hemp seed oil) and protein (found in hemp seed protein) (3). Stay tuned for next weeks blog post: the ultimate hemp based guide to inflammatory skin conditions coming out next week!

2. Finding energy and motivation as an active senior.

John sure is an active fella! When we exercise extensively we need adequate time to recover. Sleep is one of the single most important things you can do for recovery. Resistance training is so important as we age, because of muscle wasting (also known as sarcopenia). Protein is essential to support muscle recovery after exercise (4). Amino acids found in protein also have a role in the production of a chemical found in the brain responsible for sleep called ‘melatonin’.

When we exercise we use energy and need to replenish that energy from foods. So if we are participating in large amounts of exercise, we need to refuel with large amounts of food! Omega 3 fatty acids found in hemp seed oil also play an important role in muscle recovery (5).

3. When to take Hemp Seed Oil capsules & dosage. 

Some supplements need to be taken with food such as fat-soluble vitamins eg. Vitamins A, vitamin D, vitamin E, & vitamin K. Fat-soluble vitamins are absorbed along with fats in the diet and are stored in the body's fatty tissue and in the liver (6).

However, hemp seed oil is different and you can take it whenever you want! Ben recommends taking the capsules with food so you can make a habit and don’t have to worry about if you have taken the capsules or not.

You can have one with each meal spread out over 3 meals or have 3-4 at all at once - it’s all about personal preference! If you feel like you’re not gaining any benefit you can always try increasing the dosage as these are just guidelines and everyone’s requirements for essential fatty acids differ.

References:

1.     https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/73/5/853/4739553

2.     https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17448569/

3.     https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27401878/

4.     https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1525861010001489

5.     https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15438627.2018.1550401

6.     https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814614013880