title: Australians are not Meeting the Recommended Intakes for Omega-3 Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Results of an Analysis from the 2011-2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey.
abstract: Health benefits have been attributed to omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA). Therefore it is important to know if Australians are currently meeting the recommended intake for n-3 LCPUFA and if they have increased since the last National Nutrition Survey in 1995 (NNS 1995). Dietary intake data was obtained from the recent 2011-2012 National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (2011-2012 NNPAS). Linoleic acid (LA) intakes have decreased whilst alpha-linolenic acid (LNA) and n-3 LCPUFA intakes have increased primarily due to n-3 LCPUFA supplements. The median n-3 LCPUFA intakes are less than 50% of the mean n-3 LCPUFA intakes which highlights the highly-skewed n-3 LCPUFA intakes, which shows that there are some people consuming high amounts of n-3 LCPUFA, but the vast majority of the population are consuming much lower amounts. Only 20% of the population meets the recommended n-3 LCPUFA intakes and only 10% of women of childbearing age meet the recommended docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) intake. Fish and seafood is by far the richest source of n-3 LCPUFA including DHA.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia. bmeyer@uow.edu.au.
authors.forename: Barbara J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004032:Diet; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D015444:Exercise; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D064167:Recommended Dietary Allowances; D017747:Seafood; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3
keywords: Australian 2011–2012 national nutrition and physical activity survey; dietary intakes; n-3 LCPUFA; recommended n-3 LCPUFA intakes