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Plant-Based Sources Of Omega-3s
Plant-Based Sources Of Omega-3s
23 Nov 2021
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If fish is contaminated with heavy metals like mercury and several industrial pollutants, would it be better to derive omega-3s from plants or algae instead of fish?
Omega-3 from Fish vs Flaxseed

How much omega-3 from fish? Let's calculate.

How many servings of fish weekly? AHA Dietary Guidelines 2021 inform us:

Systematic reviews of prospective observational studies have concluded that 2 to 3 servings of fish per week is associated with a lower incidence of all-cause mortality, CVD, CHD, myocardial infarction, stroke, and heart failure than lesser intakes of fish. This finding has been attributed to the omega-3 fatty acid content and substitution effect when fish and seafood replaces other sources of animal protein (eg, red and processed meat or full-fat dairy products).

How much is 1 serving of fish? What is a Serving? by AHA (American Heart Association) says: "Serving sizes = 3 oz. cooked lean meat, poultry or fish"

How much omega-3 is found in 3 oz of fish? Mackerel and salmon are two fish with high omega-3s. Cronometer tells us that 3 oz of Salmon (Atlantic, Wild, cooked) has 2.3g omega-3's and 3 oz of Mackerel (Pacific, Cooked) has 1.9g omega-3s. So if we ate 3oz each of salmon and mackerel in a week, we'd get about 2.3g + 1.9g = 4.2g omega-3s.

How much omega-3 from flaxseeds? Let's calculate.

Cronometer tells us that 1 tbsp flaxseed has 1.6g omega-3s. Other good sources of omega-3s are chia seeds (1.8g per 1 tbsp) and hempseed (0.9g per 1 tbsp). Let's say we follow Dr Greger's Daily Dozen guidelines and consume 1 tbsp flaxseed daily. Then we'd get 1.6g * 7 = 11.2g omega-3s, which exceeds the omega-3's we'd get from 2 servings of fish (only 4.2g).

Flaxseeds has a large number of videos by Dr Greger on health benefits of flaxseeds, which have not only omega-3's but also lignans.

Omega-3 (DHA/EPA) from Algae

In addition to consuming 1 tbsp flaxseed daily, Dr Greger also encourages us to consume DHA/EPA from algae-based supplements. See DHA-EPA for details.

Are algae healthy sources healthier than fish oil supplements or seafood? Dr Greger's videos on the subject:

(2008) Plant-Based Omega-3 Supplements

(2 min) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "By choosing algae-based sources of long chain omega-3 fatty acids, one may be able to get the benefits of fish consumption without the risks."

(2008) Algae-Based DHA vs Flax

(1 min) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Everyone should consider taking plant-based (yeast- or algae-derived) long chain omega-3 fatty acid (DHA/EPA) supplements."

(2009) The Problem with Organic Salmon

(3 mins) Transcript. Dr Greger's summary: "Much of our fish supply is so polluted that algae-derived sources of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids may be safest option."

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