Eicosapentaenoic Acid

Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) is a polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acid with 20 carbons and five double bonds, which is commonly notated as C20:5n-3 or simply 20:5n−3. It can be found in fish, fish oils, and other marine sources and to a lesser extent in the milk of pastured ruminants (see Sources of EPA below for more).

Sources of EPA
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."

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Stearidonic Acid (SDA)
 * Omega-3 Fatty Acid
 * Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)
 * 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.