Abstract
Omega-3 (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid intake was evaluated via 3-day food records collected from a sample of 51 college-age women. Median energy intake was 1539 kcal. Mean total fat intake was 48 +/- 21.4 g; the percentage of calories from fat was 26% +/- 8.2%. Average intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) was 0.7 +/- 0.4 g, well below the adequate intake (AI) for this group. Median intake of eicosapentaenoic acid was 0.01 g and of docosahexaenoic acid was 0.02 g. Both total fat and fat as a percentage of total calories correlated positively with ALA intake, r = 0.74 (P < .001) and 0.66 (P < .001). Linear regression analysis showed that ALA intake met or exceeded the AI only when fat intakes were above 76.0 g/d, or when fat represented more than 38% of calories, and this occurred in only 16% and 10% of participants, respectively. Heightened awareness appears to be needed for this population to include more n-3-rich foods while maintaining a healthy n-6:n-3 balance.