You may have come across the terms ALA, EPA, and DHA before. If you buy fish oil or algae oil and look at the back of the package, you’ll recognize them. Fish oil and similar products, such as algae oil, contain EPA and/or DHA, often in varying doses. But what exactly are DHA and EPA? And what about ALA? Why do people choose to take an EPA and DHA supplement?
Read on to learn all about ALA, EPA, and DHA.
What are ALA, EPA, and DHA?
ALA, EPA, and DHA are all omega-3 fatty acids. EPA stands for eicosapentaenoic acid, DHA stands for docosahexaenoic acid, and ALA stands foralpha-linolenic acid.
What is DHA?
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is known as a fish fatty acid and is found primarily in marine food sources, especially in fatty fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. Fatty fish, such as herring, salmon, or mackerel, contain more fish fatty acids than white (lean) fish. It is a structural fatty acid found in high concentrations in certain tissues of the body. DHA is the most abundant omega-3 fatty acid in the brain and the retina.
DHA helps maintain normal brain function and normal vision.* In addition, a mother’s intake of DHA contributes to the normal development of the eyes and brain in the fetus and in breastfed infants.*
What is EPA?
EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) Like DHA, it is known as a fish fatty acid and is found primarily in marine sources.
EPA and DHA are both good for the heart* and blood pressure*, and help maintain normal blood lipid levels.*
What is ALA?
ALA (alpha-linolenic acid)is a plant-based omega-3 fatty acid found in foods such as flaxseed oil, canola oil, walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and seaweed. It is present in small amounts in meat, avocados, and green leafy vegetables. ALA helps maintain normal blood cholesterol levels*
You can compare these fatty acids to vitamins. They're important for your body, but your body doesn't produce enough of them on its own, so you need to get them from food.
ALA as a building block for EPA and DHA
ALA is an essential fatty acid, which means the body cannot produce it on its own and you must obtain it from food. Your body can convert ALA to EPA and then to DHA, but these conversions within the body are limited. The image below shows an example of how much ALA is ultimately converted into EPA and DHA.
What does this limited implementation mean?
So, while you can certainly get ALA from walnuts, only a small portion of it is converted by your body into EPA, and an even smaller portion into DHA. As a result, ALA provides much less EPA and DHA than when you consume EPA and DHA directly from your diet.
EPA and DHA each have their own functions in the body, so it’s important to get enough of both. Relying solely on ALA as a source of omega-3 is almost never enough. That’s why it’s recommended to get EPA and DHA from your diet in addition to ALA.
That doesn't always work. Maybe you don't really like (fatty) fish, or you don't eat it for other reasons. In that case, a supplement containing EPA and/or DHA can be a practical option. This way, you get EPA and DHA directly in a higher dose, without your body having to convert ALA first.
How much EPA and DHA per day?
So, the amount of DHA and EPA you need each day to get enough of these nutrients depends on what you eat.
The Health Council recommends that adults consume 200 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids from fish each day. If you eat one serving of fish per week, you’ll meet this requirement. If you don’t eat fish, you can take supplements containing DHA (and EPA) as an alternative.
How many omega-3 supplements?
The amount of supplements you need depends on the concentration of EPA and DHA per capsule or per spoonful of oil. Therefore, always check the label to see how much you’re getting per dose. If you have a higher need, a liquid oil, ...possibly with a higher concentration of EPA and DHA, which might be a more convenient option.
EPA-DHA ratio
Fish oil and algae oilare available in various concentrations of EPA and DHA. Some contain both EPA and DHA, while others contain only DHA (and sometimes ALA).
It is especially important to pay attention to your total daily intake of EPA and DHA. The optimal ratio of EPA to DHA depends on your desired intake and your goal. Your body uses both EPA and DHA for various functions. To a limited extent, they can be converted into one another. However, because these conversions are limited, you cannot consider EPA and DHA to be completely interchangeable.
What about ALA?
Although ALA cannot be converted into EPA and DHA in sufficient quantities, ALA itself also plays a role in the body. It is therefore still important to consume enough ALA.
In addition to the recommendations regarding the fish fatty acids EPA and DHA mentioned above, the Health Council recommends that adults obtain 0.5% of their daily caloric intake from ALA. This is approximately 1 gram of ALA for someone who needs 2,000 kilocalories, and 1.5 grams for someone who needs 2,500 kilocalories.
Omega-3 and Vitamin D
Vitamin D is also an important vitamin for our bodies. A large portion is produced naturally by our skin (when exposed to sunlight). We get about one-third of it from food. Vitamin D is found in fatty fish, organ meats, some types of fish oil, and egg yolks.
Do you eat few of these foods, spend little time outdoors, or often wear clothing that covers your skin? If so, it’s a good idea to pay attention not only to EPA and DHA but also to your vitamin D intake.
Omega-3 supplements with added vitamin Dcan be a useful option. This is because fat-soluble vitamin D is better absorbed when combined with oil.
Are EPA and DHA compatible with a vegan lifestyle?
If you’re a flexitarian, vegetarian, vegan, or don’t eat fish for any other reason, it’s especially important to ensure you’re getting enough ALA. This is because it can be difficult to get enough EPA and DHA from ALA alone due to the limited conversion rate. For example, if you’re a vegan and want to make sure you’re getting enough EPA and DHA, an algae oil containing EPA and DHA might be a good choice.
For new vegetarians and vegans, getting enough ALA isn’t always so straightforward, since they often don’t yet know exactly which foods are good sources. An algae oil with a high dose of ALA—which is good for your cholesterol*—and that also contains DHA can be a good supplement for you.
EPA and DHA therefore fit well into a plant-based lifestyle. Vegans can easily obtain these omega-3 fatty acids from algae oil, the only plant-based source that contains the same amounts of DHA and EPA as fish oil. This makes sense, since fatty fish also get their omega-3 from algae—either directly or through smaller fish that eat algae.
*Health claims approved by the EFSA: EPA and DHA contribute to normal heart function at a daily intake of 250 mg; DHA contributes to the maintenance of normal brain function and normal vision at 250 mg per day; 2 g of EPA+DHA per day is needed to maintain normal triglyceride levels, and 3 g per day for blood pressure; ALA is beneficial for cholesterol with a daily intake of 2 g; During pregnancy and breastfeeding, an additional intake of 200 mg of DHA (in addition to 250 mg of EPA+DHA) contributes to the normal development of the brain and eyes of the fetus and infant; an intake of up to 5 g of EPA+DHA per day is considered safe.
