Over three-fourth of the world's population is not getting the recommended intake of Omega-3 fatty acids, revealing a significant global public health gap, according to a new study.
Sources of the healthy fats include fish such as salmon and plant-based ones flaxseeds and chia seeds.
Author Abbie Cawood, science director at Holland & Barrett and visiting research fellow at the UK's University of Southampton, said, "The health benefits of long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are too important to ignore." "In fact, our review highlights that supplementation is often required to meet recommended intakes especially in pregnancy and those with low fish intakes. We are hopeful that this publication can act as an enabler to inform omega-3 dietary guidelines and shape future nutrition policy and public health strategies," Cawood said.
The study, published in the journal Nutrition Research Reviews, analysed data from the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization global online repository. Forty-two technical and scientific documents were included in the analysis.
The researchers said that dietary intake recommendations mentioned in the documents varied widely across countries, creating a significant amount of confusion across the globe and reinforces the importance of consistent evidence-based guidance.
"The most frequently recommended intakes for adults were 250 milligrams per day EPA DHA and 250 milligrams per day EPA DHA plus an additional 100-200 milligrams per day DHA in pregnancy," the authors wrote.
"Most countries for which data are available show that LCn-3PUFA (long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids) intakes fail to meet recommended targets, highlighting the need for accessible, innovative, sustainable alternative EPA DHA sources like bio-enriched foods and supplements to support higher population intakes, LCn-3PUFA status and health benefits," they said.
The researchers also highlighted a lack of alignment between current evidence, public health guidance and actual population intakes.
While previous guidance often focused on key stages like pregnancy, birth or age-related disease, this publication covers all life stages, making guidance relevant and accessible for the general population, they said.
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