Abstract
Dietary intake of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA and DHA) was analysed, stratified by sex and age groups, using data from the German Nutrition Survey 1998. The median intake of both fatty acids combined (EPA and DHA) was 141 mg per day among women and 186 mg among men. In all age groups, women consumed less EPA and DHA than men, partly because of lower total intake. The lowest median intake was observed among women aged 18–24 years (84 mg) and the highest median intake among men aged 45–54 years (217 mg). The main sources of these fatty acids are fish (68%), eggs (12%), poultry (7%), meat and sausages (7%). The remaining 6% of EPA and DHA is supplied by bakery products.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bajpai P, Bajpai PK ( 1993 ). Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) production from microorganisms: a review . J Biotechnol 30, 161 – 183 .
Klemm C, Mathis G, Christ M, Gebhardt G, Hamami E, Pathasart B et al . ( 1999 ). The German Food Code and Nutrient Base (BLS II.3) conception, structure and documentation of the data-base blsdat – English version – BGVV-Hefte 10 .
Kris-Etherton PM, Hecker KD, Binkoski AE ( 2004 ). Polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular health . Nutr Rev 62, 414 – 426 .
Kroes R, Schaefer EJ, Squire RA, Williams GM ( 2003 ). A review of the safety of DHA45-oil . Food Chem Toxicol 41, 1433 – 1446 .
Linseisen J, Schulze MB, Saadatian-Elahi M, Kroke A, Miller AB, Boeing H ( 2003 ). Quantity and quality of dietary fat, carbohydrate, and fiber intake in the German EPIC cohorts . Ann Nutr Metab 47, 37 – 46 .
Mensink GBM, Haftenberger M, Thamm M ( 2001 ). Validity of DISHES 98, a computerised dietary history interview: energy and macronutrient intake . Eur J Clin Nutr 55, 409 – 417 .
Mensink G, Burger M, Beitz R, Henschel Y, Hintzpeter B ( 2002 ). Was essen wir heute? Ernährungsverhalten in Deutschland. Beiträge zur Gesundheitsberichterstattung des Bundes . Robert Koch-Institut: Berlin .
Mensink GBM, Beitz R ( 2004 ). Food and nutrient intake in East and West Germany, eight years after the reunification – The German Nutrition Survey 1998 . Eur J Clin Nutr 58, 1000 – 1010 .
Metcalf RG, James MJ, Mantzioris E, Cleland LG ( 2003 ). A practical approach to increasing intakes of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids: use of novel foods enriched with n-3 fats . Eur J Clin Nutr 57, 1605 – 1612 .
Simopoulos AP ( 2002 ). Omega-3 fatty acids in inflammation and autoimmune diseases . J Am Coll Nutr 21, 495 – 505 .
Trautwein EA ( 2001 ). n-3 Fatty acids – physiological and technical aspects for their use in food . Eur J of Lipid Sci Technol 103, 45 – 55 .
Winkler G, Filipiak B, Hense HW, Schwertner B ( 1998 ). [External quality control in the German Health Survey 1997/98: concept and initial experiences] . Gesundheitswesen 60 (Suppl 2), S108 – S112 .
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Guarantor: B Niemann.
Contributors: AB and OL undertook the data analysis, GBM provided the nutritional data and BN piloted the issue and drafted the paper. All authors contributed to finalisation of the manuscript.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bauch, A., Lindtner, O., Mensink, G. et al. Dietary intake and sources of long-chain n-3 PUFAs in German adults. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 810–812 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602399
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602399
Keywords
This article is cited by
-
Reconstruction of the microalga Nannochloropsis salina genome-scale metabolic model with applications to lipid production
BMC Systems Biology (2017)
-
Monitoring und Qualitätssicherung von Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung auf Bundesebene
Bundesgesundheitsblatt - Gesundheitsforschung - Gesundheitsschutz (2011)