Strive to eat a healthful, varied diet of foods that naturally contain omega-3s, such as mackerel, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, and plant oils.Tatiana Bralnina/Alamy
The buzzy term “fatty acids” may not sound very appetizing, but working these important nutrients into your diet helps with bodily functions both big (heart and brain health) and small (the membranes around your cells).
Omega-3s, found in plant oils and fish, are essential fatty acids that your body can’t produce on its own — you’ve got to include them in your meals.
To bring you up to date, here’s the full rundown on omega-3s, including how much you should consume, whether to add a supplement to your diet, and the health risks to consider.
Omega-3s: What They Are
Omega-3s are part of the family of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). They are essential fatty acids (EFA) that can be broken down into alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
“Omega-3s are named for the placement of the last double bond in the molecule, which is three positions from the omega tail,” explains Melissa Majumdar, MS, RD, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and bariatric coordinator at Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta.
ALA is the precursor to EPA and DHA, which means your body can convert very small amounts of ALA into the other two fatty acids, notes Sonya Angelone, RDN, a nutritionist with Angelone and Associates in San Francisco.
