You’ve almost certainly heard of omega-3s EPA and DHA, and you might believe these to be the only omega-3s we need- marketing would certainly lead you to believe so!

However, the long-chain omega-3s, whilst with important health effects, are only two of an omega-3 metabolism pathway “family” that begins with the only biologically essential omega-3, ALA, found in meaningful quantities only in foods of plant origin including flax, chia and dark green leafy vegetables.

So, if omega-3 ALA is the only essential fatty acid, then should we just forget all about omega-3 EPA and DHA? Not necessarily. Whilst ALA has its own respective associated health outcomes, and it can biosynthesise to the long-chain omegas EPA and DHA, its conversion can be poor in many people, due to our dietary choices, genetics and even whether we take in the preformed DHA found in fish/algae.

So if ALA is essential, but EPA and DHA are important too, what should we do?

That’s where omega-3 SDA comes in. Omega-3 SDA converts to EPA at around 30-40% which is FAR higher than ALA. This is why the highest known natural combined source of ALA + SDA, Ahiflower converts to EPA up to 4x more efficiently than flax. It’s also been shown to biosynthesise in mammal key tissues, such as the brain, to DHA comparably to a marine DHA source.

Hemp is also a source of omega-3 SDA, but Ahiflower is an 8-10x higher source, alongside being far higher in omega-3:6 ratio, and offering around twice as much of the GLA we get from evening primrose.

When we choose the highest combined source of ALA and SDA, it allows us to enjoy the full spectrum of omega-3s, allowing the body to autonomously do the conversion as, when and in what quantity it deems appropriate to meet our changing physiological requirements.

When we simply concentrate on ingesting EPA and DHA, we’ve decided, on behalf of the body, how much it needs, when likely these quantities and ratios change in different conditions and when there is emerging research questioning this always being the best approach- with Ahiflower, we give control back to the body, whilst overriding the limitations of ALA.