Fish oil: what the prescriber needs to know

Table 2 Fatty acid information for food choices

Foods, ingredients	Choices	Fatty acids
Cooking oils, salad dressings and spreads	Choose:
	Canola oil products	ALA (18-carbon n3 PUFA)
	Olive oil products	OA (MUFA)
	Avoid:
	Sunflower, cottonseed, peanut, soybean oil products	LA (18-carbon n-6 PUFA)
Preprepared food such as frozen chips/fries	Nutrient information on the packet will allow a choice of foods prepared in canola or olive oils
Fish	Because fish oil is rich in long chain n3 fats, fatty fish (e.g. sardines, herrings) have higher n3 content than lean fish. However, all marine fish contain long chain n3 fats. Canned fish have n3 fat content also, but note that canned tuna has less fat (and therefore less n3 fat) than fresh tuna	EPA (20-carbon n3 PUFA) DHA (22-carbon n-3 PUFA)
Nuts and seeds	Flaxseed (linseed)	High in n3 PUFAs
	Walnuts	Some n3 PUFAs but also n6 PUFAs
	Macadamia, almonds	High in MUFA, low in n6 PUFAs
	Peanuts, cashews, brazil and hazel nuts	Some MUFA, but also n6 PUFAs

ALA, α-linolenic acid; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; EPA, eicosapentaenoic acid; LA, linoleic acid; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acid; OA, oleic acid; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid.

ISSN: 1478-6362