{"id":165546,"date":"2022-10-11T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/types-of-omega-3-fatty-acids\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T10:17:32","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:17:32","slug":"types-of-omega-3-fatty-acids","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/types-of-omega-3-fatty-acids\/","title":{"rendered":"Get To Know The Different Types of Omega-3 Fatty Acids"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever taken fish oil supplements like our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/product\/ultra-pure-omega-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ultra Pure Omega-3 Fish Oil<\/a><\/strong>, then you\u2019re probably well acquainted with EPA and DHA. They\u2019re 2 of the most popular types of omega-3 fatty acids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But did you know there are 11 omega-3 fatty acids in nature? They\u2019re not created equal though, and only a few of them are involved in human physiology. Let&#8217;s get to know the most important types of omega-3 in this blog post! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What exactly is omega-3?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Omega-3 is an essential nutrient found in fish, krill, algae, and some plants, nuts, and seeds. The human body can\u2019t make them, so we need to take omega-3 from either food or supplements. As you&#8217;ll see below, taking these fatty acids regularly is key to preventing health problems.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>But they said fat is \u201cbad\u201d, so why are omega-3 fatty acids \u201cgood\u201d?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, not all fat is bad. You\u2019re probably thinking of saturated fat and trans fat. Yes, these two types of fat are bad news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, omega-3 fatty acids belong to the <strong>polyunsaturated fats<\/strong> (PUFA) category, meaning they\u2019re actually good and healthy for us. Several studies have shown that PUFAs can lower bad cholesterol, decreasing heart disease risk (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/nutritionsource\/what-should-you-eat\/fats-and-cholesterol\/types-of-fat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1<\/a>). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But that\u2019s not the extent of PUFAs \u2013 and omega-3\u2019s \u2013 health benefits. Keep reading to learn more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The most important types of omega-3 and where to find them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of the 11 identified omega-3s, there are 3 that have been studied for decades:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And there&#8217;s also a fourth type that has shown some positive findings so far: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>DPA (Docosapentaenoic acid)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The marine omega-3s<\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/product\/ultra-pure-omega-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/how-much-omega-3-per-day-is-safe-03.jpg\" alt=\"bottle of intelligent labs ultra pure omega-3 fish oil supplement\" class=\"wp-image-164575\" width=\"317\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/how-much-omega-3-per-day-is-safe-03.jpg 633w, https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/how-much-omega-3-per-day-is-safe-03-190x300.jpg 190w, https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/how-much-omega-3-per-day-is-safe-03-600x948.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 317px) 100vw, 317px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The marine omega-3s are those found in fish, krill, and other seafood. These are EPA, DHA, and DPA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You will usually find them in fish oil supplements like our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/product\/ultra-pure-omega-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ultra Pure Omega-3 Fish Oil <\/a><\/strong>which uses fish sourced from a certified &#8220;Friends of the Sea&#8221; supplier. We also only use wild mackerel, sardine, and anchovy from pristine Antarctic waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no official recommended daily allowance specified yet for marine omega-3s. Though various health organizations have their own suggestions on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligentlabs.org\/how-much-omega-3-per-day\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>how much omega-3 per day is safe<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The plant omega-3<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The sole plant omega-3 is ALA. It is present in flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, soybeans, pumpkins, avocado, and other nuts and seeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of all the omega-3\u2019s, only ALA has an official recommended daily intake (<a href=\"https:\/\/ods.od.nih.gov\/factsheets\/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer\/\" rel=\"noopener\">2<\/a>):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>Life Stage<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Recommended Amount of ALA<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Teen boys 14\u201318 years<\/td><td>1.6 g<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Teen girls 14\u201318 years<\/td><td>1.1 g<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Men<\/td><td>1.6 g<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Women<\/td><td>1.1 g<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Pregnant teens and women<\/td><td>1.4 g<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Breastfeeding teens and women<\/td><td>1.3 g<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Interestingly, the human body can convert very small amounts of ALA to DHA and EPA, which should help if you\u2019re vegetarian or vegan. However, in order to get the same amounts of DHA and EPA as you would from marine sources, you will need to consume high amounts of ALA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The \u201cother\u201d omega-3s<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We won&#8217;t go into detail with these <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Omega-3_fatty_acid\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7 other types<\/a> of omega-3 found in nature since they aren&#8217;t considered vital to human health, but it&#8217;s still good-to-know info: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hexadecatrienoic acid (HTA)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stearidonic acid (SDA)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eicosatrienoic acid (ETE)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eicosatetraenoic acid (ETA)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Heneicosapentaenoic acid (HPA)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tetracosapentaenoic acid<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Tetracosahexaenoic acid (Nisinic acid)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What are the benefits of these 4 important types of omega-3?&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Collectively, the whole range of omega-3 fatty acids has a lot of science-backed health benefits. We\u2019ve compiled 20+ benefits in our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intelligentlabs.org\/omega-3-ultimate-supplement-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Omega-3 Ultimate Supplement Guide<\/a><\/strong> if you want to know more about them. But let\u2019s see what 4 of the most important types of omega-3 fatty acids have to offer: &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DHA <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>DHA may arguably be the best type of omega-3 fatty acid. This is mainly because of DHA\u2019s significant presence in the brain (much more than EPA) and its important role in brain health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the brain, DHA is also found in large amounts in the skin and retina (eyes). Moreover, DHA is naturally present in human breastmilk, signifying its importance in a baby\u2019s development. It\u2019s so vital to a child\u2019s brain and eye development that many infant formula brands now add DHA to their products (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29413359\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3<\/a>). &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Low levels of DHA is associated with a decline in cognitive function. People with dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s also have decreased DHA levels in the brain. Taking DHA, alone or in combination with EPA, may help improve memory function in older adults as well as reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer\u2019s (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/25786262\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4<\/a>) (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/17101822\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">5<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">EPA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>EPA is said to be a more powerful anti-inflammatory than DHA. The body uses EPA to produce anti-inflammatory molecules known as <strong>eicosanoids<\/strong>, which help regulate inflammation. Eicosanoids derived from omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory, while those derived from omega-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/20500789\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">6<\/a>). &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many diseases are largely in part due to chronic inflammation. Examples include arthritis, heart disease, asthma, cancer, diabetes, Crohn\u2019s disease, psoriasis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and more. Fortunately, omega-3 fatty acids can also help manage various inflammatory and autoimmune diseases (<a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/12480795\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">7<\/a>). &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">ALA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/food\/safety\/labelling_nutrition\/claims\/register\/public\/?event=search\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">European Food Safety Authority<\/a>, ALA contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels. Higher intake of ALA may also be associated with lower cardiovascular risk (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3497923\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">8<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, as mentioned above, ALA is a precursor to EPA and DHA though this isn\u2019t the most efficient way to get high enough levels of EPA and DHA. ALA not converted into other forms is simply stored in the body or used as an energy source (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hsph.harvard.edu\/nutritionsource\/what-should-you-eat\/fats-and-cholesterol\/types-of-fat\/omega-3-fats\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">9<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">DPA<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Considered the new kid on the block in the omega-3 fatty acids family, DPA is also a marine omega-3. Structurally, it&#8217;s most similar to EPA. And just like DHA, it&#8217;s also present in human breastmilk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>DPA\u2019s health benefits also seem closely tied to other omega-3 fatty acids. For instance, its presence in breastmilk suggests that it may also play an important role in infant development like DHA (<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1002\/ejlt.201600076\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">10<\/a>). Moreover, it may also benefit immunity, heart health, and cognitive function (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4162505\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">11<\/a>). &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Final words<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many studies on omega-3 fatty acids use fish oil supplements. As such, the marine omega-3s (specifically EPA and DHA) are associated with many of omega-3&#8217;s health benefits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Moreover, the EPA\/DHA ratios used in many successful trials were 60\/40 or 3:2 EPA\/DHA ratio. With this in mind, we made sure that our <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/product\/ultra-pure-omega-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ultra Pure Omega-3 Fish Oil<\/a><\/strong> follows this clinically recognized ratio. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each serving contains <strong>1,224mg EPA<\/strong> and <strong>816mg DHA<\/strong>. And since we use superior triglyceride fish oil, our product naturally contains other omega-3 fatty acids too (each serving contains <strong>210mg of these other omega-3s<\/strong>!).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019ve ever taken fish oil supplements like our Ultra Pure Omega-3 Fish Oil, then you\u2019re probably well acquainted with EPA and DHA. They\u2019re 2 of the most popular types of omega-3 fatty acids. But did you know there are 11 omega-3 fatty acids in nature? They\u2019re not created equal though, and only a few&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":164287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1851],"tags":[1887],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-165546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition","tag-omega-3"],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":1851,"label":"Nutrition"}],"post_tag":[{"value":1887,"label":"Omega-3"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/get-to-know-the-different-types-of-omega-3-fatty-acids-01-1024x512.jpg",1024,512,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"David Pashley","author_link":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/author\/david\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":1851,"name":"Nutrition","slug":"nutrition","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1851,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":56,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1851,"category_count":56,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Nutrition","category_nicename":"nutrition","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":1887,"name":"Omega-3","slug":"omega-3","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1887,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw"}],"wpml":{"language":"en-mt","is_original":false,"original_post_id":130831,"translations":{"de-at":{"id":199071,"language":"de-at","is_original":false},"de-de":{"id":75617,"language":"de-de","is_original":false},"en-gb":{"id":130831,"language":"en-gb","is_original":true},"en-ie":{"id":164293,"language":"en-ie","is_original":false},"en-mt":{"id":165546,"language":"en-mt","is_original":false},"es-es":{"id":75196,"language":"es-es","is_original":false},"fr-fr":{"id":129353,"language":"fr-fr","is_original":false},"it-it":{"id":75473,"language":"it-it","is_original":false},"nl-nl":{"id":174660,"language":"nl-nl","is_original":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=165546"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":241863,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165546\/revisions\/241863"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=165546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=165546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=165546"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eu.intelligentlabs.org\/en-mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=165546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}