Omega-3 fatty acids are one of two groups of fatty acids—the omega-3s and the omega-6s—that are vital to human life. They are called essential fatty acids (EFAs), which the body cannot make but absolutely needs for normal growth and development. These fats must be supplied by diet.
People living in industrialized western countries eat up to 30 times more omega-6 than omega-3 fatty acids, resulting in a relative deficiency of omega-3 fats. Omega-6 metabolic products (inflammatory prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes) are formed in excessive amounts causing allergic and inflammatory disorders and making the body more prone to heart attacks, strokes, and cancer.
Eating diets rich in omega-3 acids or taking fish oil supplements can restore the balance between the two fatty acids and can possibly reverse these disease processes.
Omega-3 fatty acid. (n.d.). Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Retrieved July 29, 2008, from Answers.com Web site: http://www.answers.com/topic/omega-3-fatty-acid
Botanical sources of omega-3 fatty acid
The table lists omega-3 content as the percentage of ALA in the seed oil, unless otherwise noted.
| Common name | Alternate name | Linnaean name | % Omega-3 |
Chia |
chia sage |
Salvia hispanica |
64% |
Kiwifruit |
Chinese gooseberry |
Actinidia chinensis |
62% |
Perilla |
shiso |
Perilla frutescens |
58% |
Flax |
linseed |
Linum usitatissimum |
55% |
Lingonberry |
cowberry |
Vaccinium vitis-idaea |
49% |
Camelina |
Gold-of-pleasure |
Camelina sativa |
36% |
Purslane |
portulaca |
Portulaca oleracea |
35% |
“omega-3 fatty acid.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2008. Answers.com 29 Jul. 2008. http://www.answers.com/topic/omega-3-fatty-acid
