EPA, DHA, ALA, DPA: How to Decipher Omega-3 Abbreviations

It’s easy to get lost in the alphabet soup of the omega-3 fatty acid world. Acronyms like EPA, DHA, and DPA represent just a few of the members of the omega-3 family – and even that abbreviated list is enough to give consumers and health practitioners alike a headache.But what do all these omega-3 abbreviations boil down to anyway? Let’s straighten out some key facts about these important fatty acids.How Many Types of Omega-3s Are There?In short: A lot. The term “omega-3” encompasses a broad range of fatty acids.As a defining feature, all of these fatty acids share a double bond between the third and fourth carbon atoms from the methyl end.A simplified model of an omega-3 molecule. All omega-3s have a double bond between the third and fourth carbon atom (hence the name ‘omega-3’).MUFA vs PUFAOmega-3s are typically divided into two main categories: monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). MUFAs only have one double bond, while PUFAs have multiple doub...