They have a lesser conversion rate, but what most paleo/anti-vegan arguments neglect to mention in terms of plant omega-3 sources is that if you simply eat more total ALA, the net omega-3 will be the same to your body. Seems obvious, but people never seem to acknowledge that. It's not such a lesser conversion rate that this isn't practical or possible. Not to mention there's studies showing alternative benefits of ALA despite having less conversion rate overall. Similarly with krill oil -- there's less EPA/DHA compared to fish oil per gram but it's utilized differently by the body and has shown variations in bioavailability when measured (krill vs fish oil is an ongoing topic of interest).
- not all omega-3s are created equal. Among 11 types, the 3 most important are ALA, EPA, and DHA.
- ALA is mostly found in plants, while EPA and DHA are mostly found in animal foods like fatty fish.
- Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is the most common omega-3 fatty acid in your diet.
- It’s mostly found in plant foods and needs to be converted into EPA or DHA before it can be utilized by your body for something other than energy.
- However, this conversion process is inefficient in humans. Only a small percentage of ALA is converted into EPA — and even less into DHA (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).
- When ALA is not converted to EPA or DHA, it is simply stored or used as energy like other fats.
- Some observational studies link a diet rich in ALA to a reduced risk of death from heart disease, while others show an increased risk of prostate cancer (7Trusted Source).
- This increase in prostate cancer risk was not associated with the other main omega-3 types, EPA and DHA, which seem to protect against this cancer (8Trusted Source).