Dietary Omega 3 Fatty Acids
The three main omega 3 fatty acids are alpha linolenic acid ala eicosapentaenoic acid epa and docosahexaenoic acid dha.
Dietary omega 3 fatty acids. Selected food sources of a linolenic acid ala are given in table 2. The overall ratio of omega 6 omega 3 fatty acids in the current north american diet ranges from 6 1 to approximately 10 1. Omega 3 fatty acids are found in foods such as fish and flaxseed and in dietary supplements such as fish oil. The two major classes of polyunsaturated fatty acids pufas are the omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.
Some of the common plant oils have significant levels of ala e g 7 by weight in soybean oil 10 in canola oil and approximately 20 in hemp oil. This is a fact sheet intended for health professionals.