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Dietitians knowledge of omega‐3 rich foods
Author(s) -
Bangia Deepika,
Palmer Debrah M,
Adler Audrey,
Lewis Nancy M.,
Anderson Jennifer,
Lohse Barbara
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.747.1
Subject(s) - mackerel , medicine , fish <actinopterygii> , certainty , tuna , herring , environmental health , family medicine , biology , fishery , mathematics , geometry
Since omega‐3 fatty acids (n‐3s) reduce heart disease risk, and potentially other health problems, e.g., inflammation, mental disorders and poor birth outcomes, it is important for nutrition and health educators to teach the public which foods are rich in n‐3s. To see if dietitians had adequate knowledge of foods rich in n‐3s, surveys were conducted with Registered Dietitians (N=189) in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and New Jersey. The majority of the responses were different types of fish and nuts/seeds. Salmon (n=134; 71%), mackerel (n=65; 34%), and tuna (n=62; 33%) were the fish most frequently named, with 97%, 97%, and 95% response certainty respectively. Two other fish were named by more than ten percent of the dietitians, herring (n=23; 12%) (97% response certainty) and sardines (n=25; 13%) (100% response certainty). Walnuts (n=40; 21%) and flaxseeds (n=49; 26%) were also frequently named with high response certainty (98% and 96%). Other foods, e.g., n‐3 rich oils, eggs, wheat germ, and soybeans were also named by some of the dietitians. The survey results show that dietitians had limited knowledge regarding food sources of n‐3s, indicating a need for information resources on this subject for health and nutrition educators. This research was funded by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station and the Rutgers University Food Policy Institute.