Blood docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in vegans: Associations with age and gender and effects of an algal-derived omega-3 fatty acid supplement
Sarter B Clin Nutr, 2014 March 14
In a study involving 165 vegans whose omega-3 index were determined according to dried blood spot methodology, of which the 46 who were found to have a baseline omega-3 index of < 4% were given a vegetarian omega-3 supplement for 4 months and then retested, result showed a mean omega-3 index of 3.7 in the group as a whole (similar results as found in a cohort of omnivores from a recent study), significantly higher index in females than in males (3.9 vs. 3.5), directly related to age, and, supplementation with an algal-derived vegetarian omega-3 fatty acid supplement containing 254 mg DHA plus EPA for a period of 4 months, was found to improve the omega-3 index, increasing from 3.1 to 4.8.
The authors state, "We conclude that vegans have low baseline omega-3 levels, but not lower than omnivores who also consume very little docosahexaenoic and eicosapentaenoic acids. The vegans responded robustly to a relatively low dose of a vegetarian omega-3 supplement."