The vast majority of doctors, naturopaths, dietitians and scientists all agree that having more omega-3 fats in our diet is good for our health.
There are three main omega-3 fats alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and we can find them in many different foods.
We can get lots of ALA by eating ground flaxseed, chia seeds and walnuts, for example, while fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and herring are rich in EPA and DHA.
These fats are also all available in over-the-counter supplements. Flaxseed supplements are high in ALA; fish, krill and algal supplements are high in EPA and DHA.
Despite their availability, evidence shows that most people in North America are not getting enough of these important fats in their diets. Low levels in our diet means low levels in our bodies. And this may be linked with higher risk for a number of health complications, such as coronary heart disease and depression.
I find this disconnect to be intriguing. So, nutrigenomics researcher Kaitlin Roke and I set about building a new online survey to study what young adults know about omega-3 fats and their link to various health outcomes.
What do young adults know?
Developing this survey was important for a few reasons. First, it's been a long time since a survey about dietary omega-3 fats was conducted. Second, the boom in social media means that people now get nutrition information from a lot of different sources in addition to health-care professionals. Third, many nutrition surveys are done with older adults.
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