Omega-3 fatty acid
Essential polyunsaturated fats critical to human health and diet.
Last updated
Omega-3 fatty acids are polyunsaturated fatty acids with a double bond three atoms from the terminal methyl group in their chemical structure.[1] Animals cannot synthesize ALA and must obtain it through diet, but they can convert ALA into EPA and DHA.[2]
Quick Facts
- Discovered by
- George and Mildred Burr
- Key types
- ALA
- EPA
- DHA
- Primary sources
- Marine algae
- phytoplankton
- fish
- walnuts
- chia seeds
- flaxseeds
- hempseed oil
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
The Linus Pauling Institute states that linoleic acid (omega-6) and α-linolenic acid (omega-3) are considered essential because humans cannot synthesize them.[3] On 8 September 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave "qualified health claim" status to EPA and DHA for reducing coronary heart disease risk.[4] Since 2002, the FDA has approved four fish oil-based prescription drugs for managing hypertriglyceridemia.[5] The term "essential fatty acids" was introduced by the Burrs.[6]
A deficiency syndrome that could be life-threatening occurred when fatty acids were missing from the diet.[6] Because humans do not possess the delta-12 and delta-15 desaturase enzymes, they cannot insert a cis double bond at the n-6 or n-3 position of a fatty acid.[3] The main original sources of omega-3 fatty acids are marine algae and phytoplankton.[7]
What the research sources say
The Linus Pauling Institute notes that DHA is found at very high concentrations in the cell membranes of the retina, which conserves and recycles DHA even when omega-3 intake is low.[3] A 2018 meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found a 19% lower risk of wheezing or asthma in children whose mothers supplemented with omega-3 PUFA from the 20th week of gestation until delivery.[3] The DHA EPA Omega-3 Institute reports that early rodent studies showed omega-3 deprivation impaired learning ability in young animals.[8] An article titled "No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fats" notes that a meta-analysis showed a 24% reduction in coronary events when saturated fat was replaced with omega-6 fats.[9]
References
- Wikipedia, "Omega−3 fatty acid" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Omega−3 Fatty Acids", Office of Dietary Supplements, US National Institutes of Health, 17 December 2024; "Essential Fatty Acids", Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, 1 May 2019; "Essential Fatty Acids", Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, 1 May 2019; "Omega−3 fatty acids, hepatic lipid metabolism, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease", Annual Review of Nutrition, 2013, p. 231–248 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Omega−3 fatty acid" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Omega−3 Fatty Acids", Office of Dietary Supplements, US National Institutes of Health, 17 December 2024; "Essential Fatty Acids", Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, 1 May 2019; "Omega-3 fatty acids, energy substrates, and brain function during aging", Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes, and Essential Fatty Acids, September 2006, p. 213–220; "Essential Fatty Acids", Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, 1 May 2019; "Role of physical structures in en.wikipedia.org
- "Essential Fatty Acids", Micronutrient Information Center, Linus Pauling Institute, Oregon State University, 1 May 2019. facts only, no text reused. lpi.oregonstate.edu
- Wikipedia, "Omega−3 fatty acid" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "FDA announces qualified health claims for omega−3 fatty acids", United States Food and Drug Administration, 8 September 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Omega−3 fatty acid" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Omega-3 Fatty Acids for the Management of Hypertriglyceridemia: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association", Circulation, September 2019, p. e673–e691 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Omega−3 fatty acid" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Essential fatty acids: the work of George and Mildred Burr", The Journal of Biological Chemistry, October 2012, p. 35439–35441; "[The essential fatty acids omega-6 and omega-3: from their discovery to their use in therapy]", Minerva Pediatrica, April 2008, p. 219–233; "The slow discovery of the importance of omega 3 essential fatty acids in human health", The Journal of Nutrition, February 1998, p. 427S–433S (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Omega−3 fatty acid" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Food Enrichment with Omega-3 Fatty Acids", Elsevier, 31 July 2013, p. 391; "Farmed fish: a major provider or a major consumer of omega-3 oils? GLOBEFISH", Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; "Omega−3 Fatty Acids", Office of Dietary Supplements, US National Institutes of Health, 17 December 2024 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Conversion Efficiency of ALA to DHA in Humans", DHA EPA omega−3 Institute. facts only, no text reused. dhaomega3.org
- "No need to avoid healthy omega-6 fats", May 2009. facts only, no text reused. health.harvard.edu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Omega−3 fatty acid (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Omega−3 fatty acid (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Word definitions: the , each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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