Though EPA, DHA, and ALA are all long-chain PUFAs, ALA is the shortest of the three. To get a bit extra science-y, EPA has 20 carbons and double bonds, DHA has 22 carbons and 6 double bonds, and ALA has 18 carbons and three double bonds. As these chemical variations point out, they’re three distinctive fat with distinctive roles in our physiological well being and wellness.
One other distinction is availability. ALA is prevalent in our diets and located in plentiful quantities in lots of crops—together with flaxseed, canola oil, olive oil, walnuts, and different tree nuts, in accordance with Chip Lavie, M.D., FACC, FACP, FCCP, medical director of cardiac rehabilitation and prevention at Ochsner Well being.
In distinction, EPA and DHA are usually not extensively discovered within the meals provide, nor are these marine omega-3s widely consumed by People. And since solely a small quantity of ALA is transformed to EPA and DHA, we’re missing these PUFA MVPs that work overtime for our heart, brain, redox balance, and more.* “Making EPA and DHA from ALA is feasible however very inefficient, and attaining optimum omega-3 index ranges is almost unattainable with solely ALA,” says Harris.
