Intake and sources of alpha-linolenic acid in Dutch elderly men

Intake of alpha-linolenic acid may have a beneficial effect on coronary heart disease, but little information is available on the intake and sources of alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3) in populations. We therefore assessed intake and sources of alpha-linolenic acid in Dutch elderly men.

Dietary histories were obtained from participants of the Zutphen Elderly Study, a Dutch cohort study. Food consumption data were available from 876 men in 1985 and from 541 of the same men in 1990. Daily intakes of alpha-linolenic acid were assessed using a food table developed for this purpose. Alpha-linolenic acid content of edible fats, seafood and some commonly eaten dishes were mainly derived from chemical analyses of Dutch foods, and other values were obtained from published food tables.

Alpha-linolenic acid provided 0.5 +/- 0.1% of energy intake (mean +/- s.d.) or 1.30 +/- 0.46 g/day in 1985, and 1.21 +/- 0.52 g/day in 1990. The Pearson correlation coefficient for intake of alpha-linolenic acid in 1985 and 1990 was 0.34. Margarines were the main source (25.4%), followed by meat and the fats used in cooking meat (10.8%), bread (9.8%) and vegetables (7.8%).

An increase in intake of alpha-linolenic acid, is most easily realized by the use of unhydrogenated oils rich in alpha-linolenic acid such as rapeseed and soybean oil, and of margarines and other fats containing such oils.