ALA, EPA, and DHA Omega3s - Which Ones Are Best For Your Health?

Between ALA, EPA, and DHA omega-3 fatty acids, do you know which ones are best for your health? This article discusses the differences between these fatty acids and which ones you want to consume the most of.

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ALA, EPA, and DHA are all beneficial to your health, but they all do not provide the same benefits.

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The most complex of the three is DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid. It consists of 22 carbon chain bonds and 6 double bonds. Because it's the most complex, this omega-3 is also the most versatile.

EPA omega-3, or eicosapentaenoic acid, has 20 carbon chain bonds and 5 double bonds. Although not as complex as DHA, it still is rather versatile.

ALA omega-3, or alpha-linolenic acid, has 18 carbon chain bonds and three double bonds. Out of the three, it is certainly the least versatile.

Now, let me explain what I mean by versatile when talking about ALA, EPA, and DHA omega-3...

When your body needs more of a certain omega-3, other forms can be converted to it. This is done by adding or removing carbon bonds.

Since DHA omega-3 is so complex, all it has to do is drop some carbon bonds to convert into EPA or ALA if need be. EPA can drops a few bonds as well to make ALA too, but has to add a few to make DHA. But ALA has to add carbon bonds to make both EPA and DHA.

Therefore, you want to make sure that you consume more DHA than EPA and ALA. And if need be, your body can convert DHA into one of the other forms.

The best source of DHA and EPA omega-3 is deep, cold water fish like tuna, salmon, mackerel, hoki, and sardines. ALA is only found in plant-based sources like fruits and veggies, oils, nuts, etc.

Shockingly, the average person only consumes about one-fifth of the amount of DHA and EPA they should on a daily basis. In fact, studies are showing that this may be a big reason why so many people are developing behavioral problems like anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, and even Alzheimer's disease.

The reason why so many people don't consume enough DHA and EPA is probably because you'd have to eat fish multiple times a day to consume the recommended amount.

But thankfully, there's a simple solution to this problem: Taking a quality DHA and EPA fish oil supplement!

ALA, EPA, and DHA Omega3s - Which Ones Are Best For Your Health?

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