Does canola oil contain DHA and EPA?

Canola oil is high in omega-3 fatty acids, but does it contain DHA and EPA? If so, is the amount sufficient if you consume 100ml of canola oil per day? Thanks in advance!

Answer

The Omega-3 found in Canola oil is ALA.

ALA converts to EPA/DHA in the body at a rate of 9%, which is pretty inefficient.

This means that Canola oil has a ratio of Omega 6 to EPA/DHA of about 1:20 instead of 1:2 like often advertised.

If you have 0 other sources of Omega 3 in your diet, you would benefit from this. But I would highly suggest you don’t go about drinking Canola oil on purpose on a daily basis.

Not only is it already added to pretty much any food that comes in a package, but you will be consuming inordinate amounts of Omega 6, which the average American already has a huge problem with (average ratio is 1:20 in the Standard American Diet)

You will cause yourself problems with inflammation from the *excess* Omega 6 long before you see benefits of the Omega 3, and if you aren’t buying cold-pressed / expeller-pressed and you just buy whatever they have at the store, you are likely buying a very oxidized garbage product that isn’t going to contribute to your health at all.

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TLDR: Please do not just drink Canola oil. Eat seeds and nuts for Omega 6 and fish/algae for Omega 3.