Plant omega-3 (ALA)
Macronutrients
The omega-3 fatty acid of seeds and nuts, which the body cannot make.
Fragile: it oxidizes in light and heat. Seeds are ground at the last moment, oils are kept cold.
Effects and benefits
The omega-3 of flax, chia and walnuts. At 2 g a day, a teaspoon of flaxseed oil or 25 g of walnuts, it contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. The body draws a little EPA and DHA from it, and women far better than men.
Alpha-linolenic acid contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels, from 2 g a day (Regulation 432/2012). EFSA sets the adequate intake at 0.5% of energy, about 1.1 to 1.4 g a day (EFSA, 2010).
The body can lengthen it into EPA, then DHA, but poorly: a few percent for EPA, often under 1% for DHA in men (Burdge and Calder, 2005).
By sex: women convert clearly more, up to 9% into DHA in young women, because estrogens stimulate the conversion enzymes; it is as if the body were preparing for the needs of a pregnancy (Burdge and Wootton, 2002).
Sources: EU Regulation 432/2012 · EFSA, 2010 · Burdge and Calder, Reprod Nutr Dev, 2005 · Burdge and Wootton, Br J Nutr, 2002
Where to find it (11)
- Chia seeds
- Grenoble walnut
- Ground flaxseeds
- Hemp seeds
- Perilla seeds
- Purslane
- Sacha inchi
- Virgin camelina oil
- Virgin canola oil
- Virgin flaxseed oil
- Virgin walnut oil