Australian food sources and intakes of omega-6 and omega-8 polyunsaturatedfatty acids

Background/Aims: Both omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA s) are recognised as essential nutrients in the human diet, yet we have lit tle information on the extent to which different food sources contribute to their intake. The aim of the present study was to ascertain the daily inta kes and food sources of omega-6 and omega-3 PUFAs in our local community. M ethods: Three-day food records were obtained from 83 healthy adults living in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The PUFA composition of the foo ds which they consumed was derived from food composition tables and recentl y published food analysis data. Results: Polyunsaturated margarine, nuts/se eds, bread, snacks/desserts and takeaway foods were important sources of om ega-6 PUFAs, while canola oil and margarine, takeaway foods, snacks/dessert s and bread were sources of alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), an omega-3 PUFA. As expected, fish was the main source of the very long chain (VLC) omega-3 PU FAs, i.e. eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and doco sahexaenoic acid (DHA), to which significant health benefits are attributed . An unexpected finding, however, was that, due to the large amount eaten, meat was also a major contributor (29%) to the dietary intake of VLC omega- 3 PUFAs. Median intakes of omega-6 and omega-3 PUFAs were 9.9 and 1.2 g/day , respectively, resulting in a dietary omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 8:1. The me dian intake of VLC omega-3 PUFA was 0.18 g/day. Conclusion: We have identif ied food sources and intakes of PUFAs for an Australian subpopulation diffe rentiating between omega-6 and omega-3 PUFAs. Whilst canola and fish were t he primary sources of LNA and VLC omega-3 PUFAs respectively, we found that meat made a significant contribution to VLC omega-3 PUFA intake. Copyright (C) 2000 S. Karger AG. Basel.