Alpha Linolenic Acid

Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) is a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid with 18 carbons and three double bonds, which is commonly notated as C18:3n-3 or simply 18:3n−3. Its melting point is -11C and its boiling point is 230C. It is found in plants -- especially flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola (rapeseed) oil, soybeans and soybean oil, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil, perilla seed oil, tofu, walnuts, and walnut oil -- and concentrated in the milk of cows that have eaten plants (see Sources of ALA below for more). It can be converted to Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), two other polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids, except that those with diabetes or schizophrenia may not be able to make this conversion easily.

Sources of ALA
A 2013 study by Washington State University research Charles Benbrook (who is also on the Science Advisory Board of the Organic Center) and others found that "organic milk contained 25% less ω-6 fatty acids and 62% more ω-3 fatty acids than conventional milk, yielding a 2.5-fold higher ω-6/ω-3 ratio in conventional compared to organic milk (5.77 vs. 2.28)" and that "dairy products supply far more α-linolenic acid than seafoods, about one-third as much eicosapentaenoic acid, and slightly more docosapentaenoic acid, but negligible docosahexaenoic acid."

The University of Maryland Medical Center notes, "Dietary sources of alpha-linolenic acid include flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, canola (rapeseed) oil, soybeans and soybean oil, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil, perilla seed oil, tofu, walnuts, and walnut oil."

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Omega-3 Fatty Acid
 * Eicosapentaenoic Acid
 * Docosahexaenoic Acid
 * Omega-6 Fatty Acid

Related PRWatch Articles

 * Jill Richardson, Is Monsanto's New Genetically Engineered Soy a Health Food?, PRWatch, May 16, 2013.
 * Rebekah Wilce, Spinning Suspect Ingredients in Baby Formula, PRWatch, February 22, 2012.

External Resources

 * Charles Benbrook, Gillian Butler, Maged A. Latif, Carlo Leifert, and Donald R. Davis, Organic Production Enhances Milk Nutritional Quality by Shifting Fatty Acid Composition: A United States–Wide, 18-Month Study, PLoS ONE 8(12): e82429, December 9, 2013.
 * MON 87769 Final Environmental Assessment, USDA, p. 53.