Sources of Omega 3 Acids

Omega 3 fatty acids are unsaturated fatty acids that contribute to heart health and may be beneficial in many other ways, largely because these fats have anti-inflammatory properties. While the typical American diet is notoriously low in omega 3 fatty acids, cultures that eat higher levels of the heart-healthy fats typically have lower rates of heart disease, inflammatory diseases, and obesity. Chemically, an omega 3 fatty acid is made up of a long chain of carbon atoms, many of which are connected by double bonds as opposed to the single bonds present in saturated fats. There are several dietary sources of omega 3 fatty acids.

Olive Oil

One of the easiest sources of omega 3 fatty acids to include in the diet on a regular basis is olive oil, which is higher than other vegetable oils in healthy omega 3 fats. Notes MedlinePlus, which provides information through the U.S. National Library of Medicine, research shows that supplementation with olive oil helps reduce inflammation and arthritis symptoms in patients who use the oil on a regular basis. It takes approximately 2 g of omega 3 fatty acids per day for persons to notice a significant effect. Olive oil contains about half a gram of omega 3 fatty acid per ounce.

Cold Water Fish

Cold water fish, including salmon and cod, are excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids--a typical 4-oz. serving of fish contains about 2 g of omega 3 fats. The reason that cold water fish are so high in omega 3 fatty acids, explain Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham in their book "Biochemistry," is that omega 3 fatty acids have very low melting points, meaning they remain malleable at very low temperatures. This is important to cold water fish, whose bodies are the same temperature as the water in which they swim. Such fish, if they contained significant quantities of more saturated fats, would be rigid due to solidification of their body fat.

Seeds and Nuts

According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, flaxseed and walnuts are additional sources of omega 3 fatty acids. A quarter cup of flaxseed has nearly 7 g of omega 3 fatty acid, though it's worth noting that much of this omega 3 fat is in a form that can't be utilized efficiently by the body--only about 1% of the omega 3 in flaxseed can actually be used by cells, rendering the usable omega 3 weight closer to 0.07 g. Walnuts, too, have high levels of omega 3 fatty acids, with a quarter-cup serving containing nearly the same quantity of omega 3 fats as a serving of fish. As with flaxseed, not all the omega 3 fats in walnuts are usable by the body.