Jumping on the omega-3 bandwagon : distinguishing the role of long-chain and short-chain omega-3 fatty acids

Jumping on the omega-3 bandwagon : distinguishing the role of long-chain and short-chain omega-3 fatty acids

Turchini, Giovanni M., Nichols, Peter D., Barrow, Colin and Sinclair, Andrew J. 2012, Jumping on the omega-3 bandwagon : distinguishing the role of long-chain and short-chain omega-3 fatty acids, Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, vol. 52, no. 9, pp. 795-803.

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Title	Jumping on the omega-3 bandwagon : distinguishing the role of long-chain and short-chain omega-3 fatty acids
Author(s)	Turchini, Giovanni M. Nichols, Peter D. Barrow, Colin Sinclair, Andrew J.
Journal name	Critical reviews in food science and nutrition
Volume number	52
Issue number	9
Start page	795
End page	803
Total pages	9
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
Place of publication	Philadelphia, Pa.
Publication date	2012
ISSN	1040-8398 1549-7852
Keyword(s)	alpha-linolenic acid omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid docosapentaenoic acid eicosapentaenoic acid food industry human physiology labelling linolenic acid regulations reviews human metabolism pufa
Summary	Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) are almost unanimously recognized for their health benefits, while only limited evidence of any health benefit is currently available specifically for the main precursor of these fatty acids, namely α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3). However, both the n-3 LC-PUFA and the short-chain C18 PUFA (i.e., ALA) are commonly referred to as “omega-3” fatty acids, and it is difficult for consumers to recognize this difference. A current gap of many food labelling legislations worldwide allow products containing only ALA and without n-3 LC-PUFA to be marketed as “omega-3 source” and this misleading information can negatively impact the ability of consumers to choose more healthy diets. Within the context of the documented nutritional and health promoting roles of omega-3 fatty acids, we briefly review the different metabolic fates of dietary ALA and n-3 LC-PUFA. We also review food sources rich in n-3 LC-PUFA, some characteristics of LC-PUFA and current industry and regulatory trends. A further objective is to present a case for regulatory bodies to clearly distinguish food products containing only ALA from foods containing n-3 LC-PUFA. Such information, when available, would then avoid misleading information and empower consumers to make a more informed choice in their food purchasing behavior.
Language	eng
Field of Research	111103 Nutritional Physiology
Socio Economic Objective	920411 Nutrition
HERDC Research category	C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal
Copyright notice	©2012, Taylor and Francis Group, LLC
Persistent URL	http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30046969

Document type:	Journal Article
Collections:	School of Medicine School of Life and Environmental Sciences

Citation counts:	Cited 2 times in TR Web of Science Cited 4 times in Scopus
Access Statistics:	38 Abstract Views, 3 File Downloads - Detailed Statistics
Created:	Mon, 13 Aug 2012, 12:55:21 EST

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