Eggs and Omega 3's

The health benefits of foods rich in omega-3 fats have been well established. An increased intake of omega-3 fats is known to protect against heart disease,1 some inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders such as arthritis2 and inflammatory bowel diseases,3 and emerging evidence in the treatment of depression.4 Omega-3 fats also play a major role in infant growth and development, as well as behaviour, attention and learning in children.5

 

Current Intakes in Australia

Research shows that many Australians are not meeting their recommended daily intake of omega-3 fats.6 An analysis of the results from the 1995 National Nutrition Survey indicated that seafood was the main source of long chain omega-3 in the Australian diet, contributing 71%, while meat and eggs contributed 20 and 6%, respectively.6

 

Different Types of Omega-3

1.    Animal sources found in fish, seafood, lean meat, eggs and added to some food products such as bread and margarine. The body uses animal sources of omega-3 efficiently.

2.    Plant sources found in high amounts in canola, soy beans, walnuts and linseeds.  The plant type of omega-3 must be converted by the body to the form found in animal sources before the body can use it.

Eggs contain predominantly the animal type of omega-3 however they also contain some of the plant type of omega-3.

Omega-3 Fats in Eggs

Eggs provide an average of 180mg of omega-3 fats per serve (2 large eggs). This represents 12% of the omega-3 Adequate Intake (AI) recommendation for men and 20% for women.7 Of this, 114mg is long chain omega-3 fatty acids, which represents 71-127% of the long chain omega-3 AI.

While this contribution is small compared to fish (for instance, 100g of fresh salmon contains 595mg of long chain omega-3), it may be a particularly useful alternative for ovo-vegetarians and others who do not eat fish regularly. Additionally, eggs enriched with omega-3 provide more of these fatty acids, up to 905mg ALA and 208mg long chain EPA/DHA per serve.

 

Including these modified eggs Australian diet may be a useful way to increase consumers' omega-3 fat consumption.

Conclusions

Many Australians fall short of the omega-3 recommendations for chronic disease prevention. Although fish is recommended as the key dietary strategy for people to increase their omega-3 intake, most people in Western societies generally don't consume enough fish and therefore may benefit from consuming eggs. Standard eggs provide 12-20% of the omega-3 AI for adults (and 71-127% of the AI for long-chain omega-3) making them a useful source of this essential fatty acid in the diets of Australians.

 

 

References

1.       National Heart Foundation of Australia. Position statement on dietary fats. Australian Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics 56, s3-s4 (1999).

2.       Rennie, K. L., Hughes, J., Lang, R. & Jebb, S. A. Nutritional management of rheumatoid arthritis: a review of the evidence. J Hum Nutr Diet 16, 97-109 (2003).

3.       Belluzzi, A. N-3 fatty acids for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. Proc Nutr Soc 61, 391-5 (2002).

4.       Sinclair, A. J., Begg, D., Mathai, M. & Weisinger, R. S. Omega 3 fatty acids and the brain: review of studies in depression. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 16 Suppl 1, 391-7 (2007).

5.       Omega-3 Centre. Omega-3 fatty acids - essential nutrients for our children. Scientific Consensus Workshop (2007).

6.       Meyer, B. J. et al. Dietary intakes and food sources of omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Lipids 38, 391-8 (2003).

7.       National Health and Medical Research Council. Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand including Recommended Dietary Intakes (NHRMC, Canberra, 2006).