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, doi: 10.1080/10408398.2010.509553. Attached Files Name Description MIMEType Size Downloads 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. orcid.org/0000-0003-0694-4283 Nichols, Peter D. Barrow, Colin orcid.org/0000-0002-2153-7267 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 DOI 10.1080/10408398.2010.509553 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 Persistent URL http://hdl.handle.net/10536/DRO/DU:30046969 Document type: Journal Article Collections: Faculty of Health School of Medicine Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment School of Life and Environmental Sciences Related Links Link Description Connect to published version (restricted access) Go to link with your DU access privileges     Unless expressly stated otherwise, the copyright for items in DRO is owned by the author, with all rights reserved. Versions Version Filter Type Mon, 13 Aug 2012, 12:55:21 EST Mon, 29 Oct 2012, 08:13:07 EST Mon, 29 Oct 2012, 08:19:43 EST Tue, 08 Oct 2013, 07:47:54 EST Thu, 08 Jan 2015, 10:53:28 EST Wed, 17 Aug 2016, 08:39:23 EST Tue, 06 Sep 2016, 19:28:42 EST Filtered Full Citation counts:   Cited 39 times in TR Web of Science Cited 44 times in Scopus Search Google Scholar Access Statistics: 1017 Abstract Views, 92 File Downloads  -  Detailed Statistics Created: Mon, 13 Aug 2012, 12:55:21 EST