The DOI matches its Crossref record; 49 of the 49 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Bioavailability and Potential Uses of Vegetarian Sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids: A Review of the Literature
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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“The human body can convert ALA into EPA and DHA, but the conversion process is inefficient.”
From Marine-Based Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2025) · cites this paper as [5]
In the citing paper
“Thus, the bioavailability of ALA is far less than that of omega-3 fatty acids derived from marine sources such as EPA and DHA [5].”
From Marine-Based Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2025) · cites this paper as [5]
In the citing paper
“Also, lately some studies suggested that omega-3-fatty acids, initially given as adjuvant in psychotropic treatment of depressive disorder [297–299], can be extremely useful in MDD therapy [300].”
From Oxidative Stress Implications in the Affective Disorders: Main Biomarkers, Animal Models Relevance, Genetic Perspectives, and Antioxidant Approaches (2016) · cites this paper as [300]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Lane, K., Derbyshire, E., Li, W., & Brennan, C.
- Affiliations
- Manchester Metropolitan University (GB)
- Venue
- Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- 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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