Alpha linolenic acid ethyl ester

Omega-3 fatty acid

 

omega-3 fatty acids are a family of essential unsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon double bond in the omega 3 position; that is, the third bond from the methyl end of the fatty acid. Nutritionally important omega 3  fatty acids include alpha linolenic acid ALA, eicosapentaenoic acid EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid DHA, all of which are polyunsaturated.

The human body cannot synthesize omega 3  fatty acids de novo, but it can form "long chain" 20-carbon omega 3  fatty acids like EPA and 22-carbon omega 3 fatty acids like DHA from the "short chain" eighteen-carbon n−3 fatty acid α-linolenic acid.

 

Several studies report possible anti-cancer effects of n−3 fatty acids particularly breast, colon, and prostate cancer.