The table below contains a summary of the International recommendations on dietary polyunsaturate intake, that were current in October 2007.
If anyone should become aware of errors in the table, or more recent changes in these recommendations, please send details to ISSFAL (
) so that the chart can be updated.
Source
Date
w-6:w-3 ratio
Other specific Recommendations
(%en=% of daily energy intake)
National Nutrition Council of Norway
1989
none
0.5 % en w-3 lcpufa* (1-2g/day)
NATO Workshop on w-3/w-6
1989
none
0.8g/day EPA/DHA (0.27%en)
Scientific Review Committee of Canada
1990
5:1-6:1
w-3 at least 0.5 %en
British Nutrition Foundation Taskforce
1992
6:1
EPA 0.2-0.5%en:DHA 0.5 %en
FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Fats and Oils in Human Nutrition
1994
5:1- 10:1
Consider pre-formed DHA in pregnancy
UK Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA)
1994
none
Fish twice/wk, one of which should be oily, min intake EPA/DHA 200mg/day
Ad Hoc Expert Workshop organised by ISSFAL
2000
none
EPA+DHA 0.3%en; 0.65g/day min
Eurodiet Conference, University of Crete
2000
none
200mg w-3 lcpufa/day
France: AFFSA,CNERNA & CNRS
2001
5:1
500mg w-3 lcpufa/day; DHA 120mg minimum
Health Council of the Netherlands
2001
none
200mg w-3 lcpufa/day "adequate" intake
US National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine
2002
none
130-260mg EPA + DHA/day
American Heart Association3
2002
none
if no CHD, eat (oily) fish 2x/wk; if CHD, consume 1000mg w-3 lcpufa/day; if high triglycerides. take 2-4g per day, under medical supervision.
UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN)2
2004
none
Fish twice/wk, one of which should be oily, min intake EPA/DHA 450mg/day
ISSFAL
2004
none
500mg w-3 lcpufa/day
Australia and New Zealand Government Recommendations
2005
none
610mg w-3 lcpufa/day for men; for women- 410mg/day; Linoleic intake 4-10%en; alpha linolenic 0.4-1.0%en
Health Council of the Netherlands1
2006
none
to achieve the dietary reference intake of 450 milligrams of n-3 fatty
acids from fish a day, it is necessary to eat two portions of fish a week, at
least one of them being oily fish (such as salmon, herring or
mackerel)".
Superior Health Council of Belgium
2006
none
a minimum of 0.3 en% EPA + DHAfor adults
* lcpufa = long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids
References:
1. Health Council of the Netherlands. Guidelines for a healthy diet 2006. The Hague: Health Council of the Netherlands, 2006; publication no. 2006/21E.
2.Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, 2004. Advice to FSA:on the benefits of oily fish and fish oil consumption from SACN. HMSO LONDON 2004.
3. Kris-Etherton,P., et al; American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. FIsh consumption, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease. Circulation, 2002, 106:2747-2757.
Lipid Matters