Omega-3 fatty acid content of food products (natural and enriched)
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential components of our diet and scientific evidence supports that specific omega-3 fatty acids (such as docosahexaenoic acid 22:6n-3) are important for brain and retina development, heart health (eicosapentaenoic acid 22:5n-3) and a number of other emerging health benefits. Plant sources of omega-3 fatty acids contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3), which is in high amounts in walnuts, flax, canola and some fortified foods. ALA is an essential omega-3 fatty acid because it is the precursor to the more biologically active forms, EPA and DHA (please refer to Do you know what omega-3 fatty acids are?)
Both EPA and DHA are the biologically active forms of the omega-3 fatty acids because they influence nearly all systems in our bodies from eyesight, to immune responses, inflammation and blood flow. Although little benefit has been identified directly to ALA; it is rather a precursor to the long chain omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. These long chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) are found in oily fish; and DHA is also a vegetarian food source found in algae. Below is a short list of some food products listing the amounts of total omega-3 fatty acids, ALA, EPA and DHA, found in natural sources such as fish and flax to fortified eggs, orange juice and baby foods. Food products that contain the highest amounts of EPA and DHA are fatty fish, but the omega-3 content can vary by species, packaging or source. For example, the omega-3 fatty acid content of tuna can vary dependent on the packaging (tuna packed in water contains more omega-3 fatty acids) and source (white tuna contains more omega-3 fatty acids than light tuna). Please see our database on fish and shellfish products in the section of Food products. Several foods that traditionally contain no omega-3 fatty acids have been fortified to contain omega-3 fatty acids (orange juice and yogurt).
| Food Product* and typical serving sizes | Total Omega-3 (mg) | ALA (mg) | EPA (mg) | DHA (mg) |
| Tuna (light packed in water) 3 oz |
250 | 40 | 190 | |
| Tuna (white packed in water) 3 oz |
733 | 198 | 535 | |
| Tuna (light, packed in oil) 3 oz | 109 | 23 | 86 | |
| Salmon (Atlantic wild, baked) 3 oz |
1,564 | 349 | 1,215 | |
| Salmon (Atlantic farmed, baked) 3 oz |
1,825 | 587 | 1,238 | |
| Sardines (packed in oil with bone) 3 oz |
835 | 402 | 433 | |
| Walnuts (1/4C) | 627 | 627 | ||
| Flax Cereal (3/4C) | 1,000 | 1,000 | ||
| Fortified Yogurt (4 oz) | 16-32 | 16-32 | ||
| Fortified Eggs (1 egg) | 100-150 | 48 | 2 | 50-150 |
| Butter substitute/ spreads (1T) | 500-560 | 350 | 32 | |
| Fortified Milk (8oz) | 32 | 32 | ||
| Fortified Soymilk (8oz) | 370 | 32 | ||
| Fortified Orange Juice (8 oz) | 50 | 30 | 20 | |
| Fortified Baby Foods (3.5oz pureed, 1/4C cereal) |
18 | 18 | ||
* Omega-3 fatty acid content and source varies by brand; be sure to read labels carefully or contact the manufacturer.
Abbreviations:
mg = milligrams (1,000 mg is equal to 1 gram and about 28 grams are in one ounce)
ALA = alpha-linolenic acid
EPA = eicosapentaenoic acid
DHA = docosahexaenoic acid
Key Points
- Long chain omega-3 fatty acids, EPA and DHA, are concentrated in oily fish (salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and some fortified foods now contain EPA and DHA.
- ALA is a precursor to EPA and DHA and can also be found in foodstuffs. Flax has a significant amount of ALA and many food products have added flax flour to improve their omega-3 fatty acid content.