Daily Omega-3 Needs Calculator

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential polyunsaturated fats that the body cannot produce on its own. The three main types are ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). EPA and DHA are found primarily in fish and seafood, while ALA comes from plant sources like flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts.
This page gives the targets. To add up what your own week of fish and supplements delivers against them, use the Omega-3 Intake Calculator.

ALA, the one with an official US intake:

These are the Adequate Intakes from the US National Academies (2002). There is no US figure for EPA and DHA at all, which surprises most people, so the EPA and DHA targets below come from other bodies.

EPA + DHA targets:

• Adults: at least 250 mg a day. That is the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) figure and the minimum in the 2010 FAO/WHO (Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization) report. ISSFAL, the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids, asks for 500 mg for heart health, which is about what two fatty fish meals a week deliver.
• Children: less. FAO/WHO give 100 to 150 mg from 2 to 4, 150 to 200 mg from 4 to 6, and 200 to 250 mg from 6 to 10. The calculator uses the top of each range.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: FAO/WHO set 300 mg a day, of which at least 200 mg should be DHA. EFSA’s version is the adult 250 mg plus 100 to 200 mg of extra DHA, which lands in the same place.
• Coronary heart disease: about 1,000 mg a day, from the American Heart Association (AHA), and only with your cardiologist’s agreement.
• High triglycerides: 2,000 to 4,000 mg a day under medical supervision. The AHA’s 2019 advisory used prescription products at 4,000 mg, which cut triglycerides by about a fifth to a third.

The “200 to 300 mg” often quoted for pregnancy is DHA alone. The combined EPA and DHA figures run from 300 to 450 mg.

Conversion note:

The body converts ALA to EPA and DHA very inefficiently: under 15% of ALA becomes EPA, and under 5% becomes DHA, with some studies putting the DHA figure lower still in men. This is why direct sources of EPA and DHA (fish, algae supplements) are the usual advice.

Top omega-3 food sources:

EPA plus DHA in a 4 oz cooked portion, from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which gives ranges because the same fish varies by season and by farm:

• Herring, anchovies and shad: 2,300 to 2,400 mg
• Salmon (Atlantic, Chinook, Coho): 1,200 to 2,400 mg
• Atlantic or Pacific mackerel: 1,350 to 2,100 mg
• Sardines: 1,100 to 1,600 mg
• Canned light tuna: 150 to 300 mg

And ALA, from the National Institutes of Health: whole flaxseed about 2.35 g a tablespoon, chia seeds 5.06 g an ounce, walnuts 2.57 g an ounce.

Diet considerations:

Vegetarians and vegans who avoid fish should consider algae-based EPA+DHA supplements, as plant ALA alone may not provide sufficient EPA and DHA due to poor conversion rates.

A standard 1,000 mg fish oil capsule carries about 180 mg EPA and 120 mg DHA, so 300 mg of what you actually want, and that is the figure the calculator uses. Concentrated formulations reach 500 mg or more in the same capsule, which is worth paying for at the higher targets. Always read the EPA and DHA lines on the label rather than the fish oil weight on the front, because the two differ by a factor of three.

Practical tips:

Store fish oil supplements in the refrigerator to keep them fresh and cut the fishy aftertaste. If you are on blood-thinning medication, consult your doctor before taking high-dose omega-3 supplements, as they can increase bleeding risk.