| Abstrakt: |
Omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are poorly synthesised in the human body and are substantially lower in Western diets compared with their shorter-chain omega-3 essential fatty acid precursors, α-linolenic acid (18:3n-3; ALA). We assessed their intake among 111 (20.45 years old; 78 females) De Montfort University (DMU, England) students. The dietary intakes of total fat (100.55 vs. 81.72; p-value = 0.032), PUFA (14.61 vs. 12.91; NS), linoleic acid (LA; 3.893 vs. 2.787; p-value = 0.0019), ALA (0.925 vs. 0.613; p-value = 0.00008), arachidonic acid (AA; 0.109 vs. 0.082; p-value = 0.0303), EPA (0.088 vs. 0.075; NS), DHA (0.153 vs. 0.121; NS), and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; 0.043 vs. 0.032 all in g/day; NS) were significantly higher or higher in male participants, respectively. The dietary intakes of DHA + EPA in the whole group monitored (0.130 + 0.079 = 0.209 g/day) were lower than the RDI of 0.5 g/day, which considers the intake of one to two portions of fish per week. Our results highlight that some DMU students did not meet the nutritional goals for ALA, EPA, and DHA. DMU students should specifically enhance the intake of oily fish (12.422, 13.406, and 10.054 g/day for the overall, female, and male population, respectively), as these intakes only provide around 0.228, 0.246, and 0.184 g of DHA + EPA/day. Education would be required to increase awareness of the importance of consuming more fish among these young adults. Another option would be to encourage the intake of dietary fish oil supplements or the enrichment of food items largely consumed by young British adults with these long-chain PUFAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
