Table 1.2 Sources and proportions of omega-3 fatty acids in common foods and supplements

Food/supplementEPADHADPAALA
20:5n-322:6n-322:5n-318:3n-3
Food/Supplement in which Total Omega-3 Fatty Acids account for more than 50% of Total PUFA
Fish
Anchovy✓✓✓
Halibut✓✓✓
Herring✓✓✓
Mackerel✓✓✓
Salmon✓✓✓
Sardine✓✓✓
Tuna
 Canned, water packed✓✓✓
Fresh Bluefin✓✓✓
Oils/Supplements
Cod liver oils✓✓✓
Coromega*✓✓
Fish oil capsules*✓✓
Flaxseed/linseed oil* ✓
Herring oil✓✓✓
MaxEPA*✓✓
Menhaden oil✓✓✓
Neuromins*✓
Omacor*✓✓
Ropufa*✓✓✓
Salmon oil✓✓✓
Sardine oil✓✓✓
Seeds and other foods
Flaxseeds/Linseeds✓
Spinach, cooked✓
Foods/Supplements in which total Omega 3 fatty acids are 10–50% of total PUFA
Oils
Black currant oil✓
Canola oil†✓
Mustard seed oils✓
Soybean oil✓
Walnut oil✓
Wheat germ oil✓
Other foods
Wheat germ✓
Human milk‡✓
Foods/Supplements in which total omega 3 fatty acids are less than 10% of total PUFA
Efamol Marine*✓✓
Peanut butter✓
Soybeans✓
Olive oil✓
Walnuts✓
*

Dietary Supplement;

† Also called rapeseed oil;

‡ The amounts of ALA, EPA, and DHA in human milk vary greatly as a function of maternal diet; the amount of DHA rarely seems to exceed 25 percent of the total n-3 PUFA content (ALA is present in the greatest amount), but that content as well as the proportion of DHA is assumed to meet the requirements of the infant.

From: 1, Introduction

Cover of Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Cognitive Function with Aging, Dementia, and Neurological Diseases
Effects of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Cognitive Function with Aging, Dementia, and Neurological Diseases.
Evidence Reports/Technology Assessments, No. 114.
MacLean CH, Issa AM, Newberry SJ, et al.
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