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Omega-3 Fats – Can We Truly Get Enough From Plants?

Omega-3.

When it comes to omega-3 fatty acids, there is a lot of conflicting information flooding the Internet. Are they good for our heart health, for our brain health, for fetal and early development? Do we need to take DHA and EPA supplements or is getting ALA from whole, plant-based sources enough?

On this page we will share the available science-based facts and interpretations from top plant-based nutrition authorities to help you make an informed decision on whether you should rely on whole-food, plant-based (WFPB) sources, or get DHA and EPA supplements for you and your family.

But first, let’s define what ALA, EPA and DHA mean.

ALA, EPA & DHA

These are the top three types of omega-3 fatty acids needed by our body: Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is considered an essential nutrient because we can’t make it ourselves, so we need to get it from our food. Fortunately, there are many WFPB sources available to us. We can convert ALA into DHA and EPA, both needed for our brain health, but the percentage of ALA that we convert is typically small, and it varies by age, gender, genetics, and even our diet. This is why they are considered conditionally essential nutrients.

Since people following a plant-based diet have lower levels of EPA and DHA in their blood, many WFPB doctors recommend taking algae-based DHA and EPA supplements. But, not all doctors believe we need to supplement at all. 

Scroll down to learn more. Also, try our personalized ALA nutrition calculator, discover some of its top WFPB sources, and learn more about the health benefits of ALA, EPA and DHA. 

Top Whole-Food, Plant-Based Sources

Hover over each food below to see how much omega-3 in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) you can get with one serving. Click on each food’s picture to visit its interactive page with a personalized calculator of all the nutrition you can get from this food, more information about how it supports our body, tips to choose and prepare it, interesting facts, and more!

Kale

Kale

1 cup cooked = 31% RI

Link
Chia Seeds

Chia Seeds

1 Tbs = 169% RI

Link
Pinto Beans

Pinto Beans

1 cup cooked = 21% RI

Link
Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts

1 cup cooked = 19% RI

Link
Flax Seeds

Flax Seeds

1 Tbs = 114% RI

Link
Walnuts

Walnuts

1/4 c = 162% RI

Link
Soybeans

Soybeans

Mature 1 c cooked = 74% RI | Edamame = 40% RI

Link
Avocado

Avocado

1 medium = 12% RI

Link

Omega-3 Personalized Calculator

See how much omega-3 you and your family members need, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

Keep in mind that Reference Intakes and Adequate Intakes have only been established for alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) because it is the only type of omega 3 that is considered essential. Unfortunately, there are no intake recommendations for DHA or EPA, however the Upper Intake Levels only apply to these two, since no toxicity has been reported from ingesting high amounts of ALA through our diet.

Terminology:

  • Reference Intake (RI): This is an approximate amount of a particular nutrient needed for a healthy diet.
  • Adequate Intake (AI): Used when a Recommended Daly Allowance can’t be determined. It is an approximation of intake of a certain nutrient by a group or groups of healthy people. This AI takes into consideration age, gender, and whether a woman is pregnant, lactating or none.
  • Upper Intake Level (UL): The highest amount of nutrient intake that will not pose adverse health effects on most individuals.

Important Facts About Omega-3

Hover over each of the interesting facts below to flip the tiles and learn more details.

Check out the interesting facts below! Tap on the red triangles to flip the tiles and learn more details.

Omega-3 ALA conversion into EPA and DHA by gender and age.

Young women convert much more ALA into EPA and DHA than men.

In young, healthy men, approximately 8% of dietary ALA is converted to EPA and 0%-4% is converted to DHA. In healthy, young women, the rates are much higher. Approximately 21% of dietary ALA is converted to EPA and 9% is converted to DHA. This is because women have higher estrogen levels. We were unable to find information on whether these conversion rates drop after menopause, but there are studies that show higher EPA and DHA levels in postmenopausal women undergoing estrogen hormonal therapy.

WFPB doctors do not recommend estrogen hormonal therapy due to the potential increased risk of cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, they strongly recommend eating foods rich in phytoestrogens. But, could these foods also help us maintain higher synthesis levels of EPA and DHA? Could they help men increase their rates?

Omega-3 and phytoestrogens.

Could phytoestrogens help us synthesize more EPA and DHA?

Since a premenopausal woman can convert more ALA into EPA and DHA due to her estrogen levels, could phytoestrogens (polyphenols in plants) help increase this conversion as well? We were unable to find any studies on this matter. However, we found this patent registration for a food composition that included ALA and polyphenols to do exactly that.

Here’s the funny thing, some top sources of ALA are also top sources of phytoestrogens, like soybeans and flaxseeds! So, hopefully a study on this will be created and published soon.

ALA may improve patient survival and slow the progression of ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS is a tragic disease, but studies have found that higher intake and higher plasma levels of ALA are associated with a lower risk of developing ALS. Not only that, in patients already diagnosed, this study showed that higher levels of ALA were linked to longer survival and slower functional decline.

On the other hand, eating fish is a significant ALS risk factor due to BMAA contamination, a neurotoxin made by blue-green algae. Learn more here and here.

Omega-3 supplements and heart health.

Turns out omega-3 supplements have little to no effect on our heart.

Omega 3 first rose to fame with a reputation of being a strong heart nutrient. However, this meta-analysis of 79 randomized controlled trials with 112,059 participants found that EPA and DHA supplements had little or no effect on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular events, coronary heart disease mortality, stroke, or arrhythmia. It also found that increasing ALA intake through diet had little influence on coronary heart disease, but it may slightly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and arrhythmia.

DHA during pregnancy.

Should pregnant and lactating women take DHA supplements?

Our brain accumulates most of its DHA during the third trimester of pregnancy and the first two years of life. However, there isn’t enough evidence to support that supplementation during pregnancy or feeding babies formula with DHA improves cognitive or visual development.

Recent studies show that DHA supplements could help prevent pregnancy complications like pre-term births and gestational diabetes mellitus, while improving the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants whose mothers had pregnancy complications. 

We should be cautious, though. Some studies recommend an intake of 1000 mg/day, but this study shows that 800 mg/day resulted in delayed language development and poorer adaptive behavior in baby girls.

If you’re concerned about your DHA levels while pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor. Dr. Greger recommends that pregnant women following a plant-based diet take an algae-based DHA supplement of 200 mg/day to make up for low DHA levels in their blood.

Omega-3 DHA and EPA for ADHD.

Do EPA and DHA supplements help with ADHD symptoms?

People diagnosed with ADHD have low levels of omega-3 in their blood. For this reason, many trials have taken place to see if EPA and DHA supplementation may help improve symptoms, ideally as a treatment replacement for methylphenidate and amphetamine medications, which often come with side effects and are not always effective. 

Unfortunately, this trial review from 2023 concluded that there is low-certainty evidence of improvement in symptoms with omega-3 supplementation. And this meta-analysis also from 2023 found that omega-3 supplementation did not significantly improve ADHD core symptoms, though long-term supplementation (more than 4 months) could have potential benefits.

The decision to take omega-3 supplements is personal, though you should talk to your doctor, especially if the goal is to reduce or eliminate ADHD medication. While there is a lot that we still don’t know about ADHD, lifestyle changes like regular exercise or avoiding food colorants can also help.

Omega-3 DHA and cognitive decline.

Low DHA levels in our blood are linked to cognitive decline.

57% of our brain’s infrastructure is made out of DHA, and lower DHA levels in our blood are associated with lower brain volumes.

Brain shrinkage is something we all experience starting at about 20 years old. But having low DHA and EPA levels is associated with accelerated shrinkage, while higher levels is linked to slower shrinkage. This study showed that those who had higher DHA and EPA levels had larger brains 8 years after measurement, compared to those with lower levels.

The good news is that it’s never too late to give our brains a hand. This study in elderly subjects showed that after supplementing DHA and EPA for 26 weeks, executive functions improved and brain shrinkage slowed down, compared to placebo.

So, should we supplement our EPA and DHA, especially if we’re not eating seafood or if we’re following a plant-based diet? See the next two tiles.

Reasons to take EPA and DHA supplements.

See who recommends EPA + DHA supplements and why.

About 2/3 of vegans and vegetarians have low levels of DHA and EPA in their blood. This could be because their diets are still very low in ALA from seeds, nuts, greens and legumes, but it could also be because their ALA to EPA and DHA conversion rates are too low. These rates may decrease with age, and are also affected by gender and genetics.

There are various studies that link low DHA levels with a higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. This is why respected doctors in the whole-foods, plant-based field, like Dr. Greger and Dr. Fuhrmann, recommend taking a 250 mg EPA & DHA algae-based supplement.

Reasons why EPA and DHA supplements are not needed.

See who doesn’t recommend EPA + DHA supplements and why.

Dr. John A. McDougall mentioned in his book, The Starch Solution, that “there is no evidence that dementia or any other condition of mental deficiency occurs in populations that take in all of their essential fats from plants and have a low intake of EPA and DHA from fish or supplements,” quoting this study and this one.

Dr. Neil Barnard from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine believes that we can get enough omega 3 from WFPB sources. Most importantly, he and his organization remind us that brain health is about more than omega-3 intake. Saturated and trans fats increase our risk of cognitive decline, and a WFPB diet is very low in these. Also, vitamins  E and C are very beneficial to our brain health, and we can get tons through whole plants.

Omega-3 ALA conversion into EPA and DHA by gender and age.

Young women convert much more ALA into EPA and DHA than men.

In young, healthy men, approximately 8% of dietary ALA is converted to EPA and 0%-4% is converted to DHA. In healthy, young women, the rates are much higher. Approximately 21% of dietary ALA is converted to EPA and 9% is converted to DHA. This is because women have higher estrogen levels. We were unable to find information on whether these conversion rates drop after menopause, but there are studies that show higher EPA and DHA levels in postmenopausal women undergoing estrogen hormonal therapy.

WFPB doctors do not recommend estrogen hormonal therapy due to the potential increased risk of cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, they strongly recommend eating foods rich in phytoestrogens. But, could these foods also help us maintain higher synthesis levels of EPA and DHA? Could they help men increase their rates?

Omega-3 and phytoestrogens.

Could phytoestrogens help us synthesize more EPA and DHA?

Since a premenopausal woman can convert more ALA into EPA and DHA due to her estrogen levels, could phytoestrogens (polyphenols in plants) help increase this conversion as well? We were unable to find any studies on this matter. However, we found this patent registration for a food composition that included ALA and polyphenols to do exactly that.

Here’s the funny thing, some top sources of ALA are also top sources of phytoestrogens, like soybeans and flaxseeds! So, hopefully a study on this will be created and published soon.

ALA may improve patient survival and slow the progression of ALS.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS is a tragic disease, but studies have found that higher intake and higher plasma levels of ALA are associated with a lower risk of developing ALS. Not only that, in patients already diagnosed, this study showed that higher levels of ALA were linked to longer survival and slower functional decline.

On the other hand, eating fish is a significant ALS risk factor due to BMAA contamination, a neurotoxin made by blue-green algae. Learn more here and here.

Omega-3 supplements and heart health.

Turns out omega-3 supplements have little to no effect on our heart.

Omega 3 first rose to fame with a reputation of being a strong heart nutrient. However, this meta-analysis of 79 randomized controlled trials with 112,059 participants found that EPA and DHA supplements had little or no effect on all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular events, coronary heart disease mortality, stroke, or arrhythmia. It also found that increasing ALA intake through diet had little influence on coronary heart disease, but it may slightly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events and arrhythmia.

DHA during pregnancy.

Should pregnant and lactating women take DHA supplements?

Our brain accumulates most of its DHA during the third trimester of pregnancy and the first two years of life. However, there isn’t enough evidence to support that supplementation during pregnancy or feeding babies formula with DHA improves cognitive or visual development.

Recent studies show that DHA supplements could help prevent pregnancy complications like pre-term births and gestational diabetes mellitus, while improving the long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of infants whose mothers had pregnancy complications. 

We should be cautious, though. Some studies recommend an intake of 1000 mg/day, but this study shows that 800 mg/day resulted in delayed language development and poorer adaptive behavior in baby girls.

If you’re concerned about your DHA levels while pregnant or breastfeeding, talk to your doctor. Dr. Greger recommends that pregnant women following a plant-based diet take an algae-based DHA supplement of 200 mg/day to make up for low DHA levels in their blood.

Omega-3 DHA and EPA for ADHD.

Do EPA and DHA supplements help with ADHD symptoms?

People diagnosed with ADHD have low levels of omega-3 in their blood. For this reason, many trials have taken place to see if EPA and DHA supplementation may help improve symptoms, ideally as a treatment replacement for methylphenidate and amphetamine medications, which often come with side effects and are not always effective. 

Unfortunately, this trial review from 2023 concluded that there is low-certainty evidence of improvement in symptoms with omega-3 supplementation. And this meta-analysis also from 2023 found that omega-3 supplementation did not significantly improve ADHD core symptoms, though long-term supplementation (more than 4 months) could have potential benefits.

The decision to take omega-3 supplements is personal, though you should talk to your doctor, especially if the goal is to reduce or eliminate ADHD medication. While there is a lot that we still don’t know about ADHD, lifestyle changes like regular exercise or avoiding food colorants can also help.

Omega-3 DHA and cognitive decline.

Low DHA levels in our blood are linked to cognitive decline.

57% of our brain’s infrastructure is made out of DHA, and lower DHA levels in our blood are associated with lower brain volumes.

Brain shrinkage is something we all experience starting at about 20 years old. But having low DHA and EPA levels is associated with accelerated shrinkage, while higher levels is linked to slower shrinkage. This study showed that those who had higher DHA and EPA levels had larger brains 8 years after measurement, compared to those with lower levels.

The good news is that it’s never too late to give our brains a hand. This study in elderly subjects showed that after supplementing DHA and EPA for 26 weeks, executive functions improved and brain shrinkage slowed down, compared to placebo.

So, should we supplement our EPA and DHA, especially if we’re not eating seafood or if we’re following a plant-based diet? See the next two tiles.

Reasons to take EPA and DHA supplements.

See who recommends EPA + DHA supplements and why.

About 2/3 of vegans and vegetarians have low levels of DHA and EPA in their blood. This could be because their diets are still very low in ALA from seeds, nuts, greens and legumes, but it could also be because their ALA to EPA and DHA conversion rates are too low. These rates may decrease with age, and are also affected by gender and genetics.

There are various studies that link low DHA levels with a higher risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. This is why respected doctors in the whole-foods, plant-based field, like Dr. Greger and Dr. Fuhrmann, recommend taking a 250 mg EPA & DHA algae-based supplement.

Reasons why EPA and DHA supplements are not needed.

See who doesn’t recommend EPA + DHA supplements and why.

Dr. John A. McDougall mentioned in his book, The Starch Solution, that “there is no evidence that dementia or any other condition of mental deficiency occurs in populations that take in all of their essential fats from plants and have a low intake of EPA and DHA from fish or supplements,” quoting this study and this one.

Dr. Neil Barnard from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine believes that we can get enough omega 3 from WFPB sources. Most importantly, he and his organization remind us that brain health is about more than omega-3 intake. Saturated and trans fats increase our risk of cognitive decline, and a WFPB diet is very low in these. Also, vitamins  E and C are very beneficial to our brain health, and we can get tons through whole plants.

Comparison of Omega-3 Fatty Acids Sources

You may be wondering if ALA from plants is enough, or if you should also be getting some EPA and DHA by adding supplements or including fish in your diet. Below, we summarize what each of these groups provides.

Plant-Based
We can get all the ALA we need and then some from whole, plant-based foods, but the conversion rates into EPA and DHA in our bodies vary by gender, age, genetics, and even our diets.
Supplements
Whether we should supplement our EPA and DHA is still a major debate among plant-based doctors and nutrition experts. What they all agree on is that if we choose to take these supplements, they should be algae-based to avoid fish contaminants.
Animal-based
We don’t need to get our EPA and DHA from fish or fish oils at all. Fish is contaminated with mercury, microplastics and PFAS. Plus, fish with high levels of omega-3, like salmon, are also high in saturated fat, which is detrimental to our health. DHA and EPA are originally synthesized by microalgae that is later eaten by fish. So, skipping the middle-fish and taking an algae-based supplement is our best option.

References

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