Cited by 146Fatty Acid Research and HealthAquaculture Nutrition and GrowthEdible Oils Quality and Analysis

Bioavailability and potential uses of vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids: A review of the literature

Lane, Katie, Derbyshire, Emma, Li, Weili, Brennan, Charles·2014·Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition

Abstract

Presently alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is the most widely used vegetarian LC3PUFA, but only marginal amounts are converted into eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA); both of which are strongly related to human health. Currently, fish oils represent the most prominent dietary sources of EPA and DHA; however, these are unsuitable for vegetarians. Alternative sources include flaxseed, echium, walnut, and algal oil but their conversion to EPA and DHA must be considered. The present systematic review sets out to collate information from intervention studies examining the bioavailability of alternative vegetarian long chain omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC3PUFA) sources. Ten key papers published over the last 10 years were identified with seven intervention studies reporting that ALA from nut and seed oils was not converted to DHA at all. Three studies showed that ingestion of micro-algae oil led to significant increases in blood erythrocyte and plasma DHA. Further work is now needed to identify optimal doses of alternative vegetarian LC3PUFAs and how these can be integrated within daily diets. The potential role of algal oils appears to be particularly promising and an area in which further research is warranted.

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Crossref · 10.1080/10408398.2011.596292

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Authors
Lane, K., Derbyshire, E., Li, W., & Brennan, C.
Affiliations
Manchester Metropolitan University (GB)
Venue
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
Published
2013-11-21
Volume
54
Issue
5
Pages
572-579
ISSN
  • 1040-8398 (ISSN-L)
  • 1549-7852
OpenAlex
W2032541515
Cited by
145
References
48
Citations by year
2026: 10 · 2025: 21 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 5
FWCI
7.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RMIT Research Repository (RMIT University Library) (publishedVersion)
  • Figshare (publishedVersion)
  • Lincoln University Research Archive (Lincoln University) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
  • Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Organic Chemistry › Edible Oils Quality and Analysis
Keywords
omega-3 fatty acids, vegetarian diet, alpha-linolenic acid, bioavailability, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, algal oil, flaxseed, Juglans regia, Echium
MeSH terms
Biological Availability, Docosahexaenoic Acids, Fish Oils, Humans, Linseed Oil, Nuts, Plant Oils, Diet, Vegetarian, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, alpha-Linolenic Acid, Juglans, Echium, Functional Food

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