Deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids hampers vegans' thought processes

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05.04.2024

Vegetarians and especially vegans consume dangerously few omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA and EPA. This may explain why vegans have a bit more difficulty keeping their thought processes on track, according to an Australian study.

Deficiency of omega-3 fatty acids hampers vegans' thought processes

Study

Australian researchers, affiliated with Charles Darwin University, determined the diets of 695 healthy adults. The researchers then calculated how many long-chain fish fatty acids the study participants consumed daily.

Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids include DHA, EPA and DPA. This does not include vegetable alpha-linolenic acid, a component of linseed oil and walnuts. Alpha-linolenic acid has a short chain, not a long one. Alpha-linolenic acid can convert in the body to a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid, but this transformation does not occur very smoothly in most people.

Results
The omnivorous study participants consumed 14 times more long-chain omega-3 fatty acids than the vegetarians. The EFSA believes that everyone should consume at least 200 milligrams of DHA and EPA per day. The table below shows that the vegetarians did not achieve this.

This applies even more to vegans. Their intake of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids was zero.

Click on the tables below for a larger version.

The researchers had the study participants complete a questionnaire that neurologists and psychiatrists use to determine how impulsive people are. They used the eleventh version of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale [BIS-11].

The table above shows that the vegans scored higher on one aspect of the BIS-11. The relatively high Attentional score indicates that the vegans had a little more difficulty keeping their thoughts on track. They more often agreed with statements such as "I often have extraneous thoughts when thinking". The difference is not big enough to call the United Nations to an emergency session, but hey - it is statistically significant.

Omnivores, vegetarians and vegans did not differ when it came to other aspects of impulsiveness, such as doing things without thinking or thinking ahead.

Conclusion
"These findings highlight the potential relationships between dietary restrictions, lower omega-3 long-chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids intakes and some aspects of impulsiveness, which should be investigated in subsequent larger longitudinal studies that utilise objective measures of impulsivity", the Australians conclude.

Omnivores, vegetarians and vegans did not differ when it came to other aspects of impulsiveness, such as doing things without thinking or thinking ahead. The researchers therefore call for more research.

Vegans, vegetarians and meat-goats who would rather not wait for this can of course consider supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids. Almost every supplement store has vegan products containing omega-3 fatty acids extracted from algae. According to trials, they work fine.

Source:
BMC Psychiatry. 2022 Mar 31;22(1):226.

More:
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Think well with multivitamins 16.03.2012

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