I know that ALA conversion to EPA and DHA is small, but I am wondering if somebody knowledgable on this subject can do the math and give me an estimate of how much DHA and EPA you would get out of one cup of avocado, and one cup of walnuts (seperately).
Lou
Forum Legend
I read something about this a long time ago and now I can't find it. Maybe I'll look some more later.
However, the two things I remember about it is that its pretty complicated (math wise). There are also A LOT of variables. I think it pretty much comes down to the ol' saw: Everyone Is Different.
Something else to keep in mind is that the whole Omega 3 thing still is relatively new. The recommendations are not based on years and years of trials and studies like other nutrients.
What I do hear most often is that the conversion is based on so many variables, that you just can't count on it. Older people like myself probably can't count on it at all.
This is worth reading
Avocado Vs. Salmon for Omega-3 Levels | livestrong
www.livestrong.com
From Linus Pauling institute page on essential fatty acids:
Studies of ALA metabolism in healthy young men indicated that approximately 8% of dietary ALA was converted to EPA and 0%-4% was converted to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (6). In healthy young women, approximately 21% of dietary ALA was converted to EPA and 9% was converted to DHA (7). The better capacity to generate long-chain PUFA from ALA in young women compared to men is related to the effects of estrogen (8, 9). Although only the essentiality of ALA is recognized because it cannot be synthesized de novo by humans, the relatively low rate of ALA conversion into EPA and DHA suggests that these long-chain omega-3 PUFA may be considered conditionally essential nutrients.
Here is a link to the page:
Essential Fatty Acids | Linus Pauling Institute | Oregon State University
lpi.oregonstate.edu
It may be worth your while to study the page yourself. The next paragraph after the one I quoted says that there are wide genetic variations in how well individuals convert ALA, apart from the male/female differences, and presumably the age differences too.
1 oz walnuts, 2.6g ala
8% of 2.6 is ?
And how many oz does a cup of walnuts weigh?
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