Omega-3 Intake Reference Tables: What Official Bodies Say by Age and Life Stage (US, UK, EU, Canada)
Official omega-3 intake figures and advice from Health Canada, EFSA, the NHS and US sources, shown by age and life stage with the body, country and year, and what we could not verify.
Content last updated . This page has not been medically reviewed.
ALA: adequate intake by age and life stage (Canada)
Source for the whole table: Health Canada's Dietary Reference Intakes table for macronutrients, page dated 2025-11-19, values in grams a day. We read it through a page-summarising tool, so check the original table before relying on a specific cell. [2]| Group | Age | ALA, g a day (AI) |
|---|---|---|
| Infants | 0 to 6 months | 0.5 |
| Infants | 7 to 12 months | 0.5 |
| Children | 1 to 3 years | 0.7 |
| Children | 4 to 8 years | 0.9 |
| Boys and men | 9 to 13 years | 1.2 |
| Boys and men | 14 years to over 70 years | 1.6 |
| Girls and women | 9 to 13 years | 1.0 |
| Girls and women | 14 years to over 70 years | 1.1 |
| Pregnancy | up to 50 years | 1.4 |
| Breastfeeding | up to 50 years | 1.3 |
The same table gives an acceptable range for omega-3 of 0.6 to 1.2 percent of energy for ages 1 and over, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, and notes that up to 10 percent of that range can be consumed as EPA and DHA. [2] These are Canadian figures. The US National Institutes of Health fact sheet would be the US source, but the page returned an access error and we could not read it, so we state no US figure from it.
EPA plus DHA: what we could read
| Group | Figure | Body, country or region, year |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy adults and children | 250 mg a day described as an adequate intake, for general cardiovascular health | EFSA, EU, 2012 [1] |
| Adults | EFSA proposed 250 mg a day as the reference value for food labels | EFSA, EU, 2009 (a labelling value, not a personal requirement) [3] |
| Adults | 2 g a day of ALA proposed as the labelling reference value | EFSA, EU, 2009 [3] |
| Adults, supplements | Up to 5 g a day of EPA plus DHA combined did not raise safety concerns | EFSA, EU, 2012 [1] |
| Any population | Data not sufficient to set a tolerable upper intake level | EFSA, EU, 2012 [1] |
EFSA's 2009 opinion also lists recommendations from other bodies for adults, including 450 mg a day of EPA plus DHA for SACN in the UK (2004), and the Netherlands (2001 and 2006) and Nordic countries (2004) at the same figure. [3] We read that as EFSA's summary table, not the original documents, and these are older figures. A UK government figure in current use was not found in the pages we read.
No EFSA or Health Canada value for EPA plus DHA for infants, children, or pregnancy and breastfeeding was found in the pages we could read. Proper evidence not found for those rows in our sources: we looked at EFSA's news story and 2009 opinion, Health Canada's macronutrient table, NHS and NCCIH. We did not read the EFSA 2010 fats opinion (access refused). Pregnancy and DHA is discussed on Omega-3 and DHA in pregnancy.
Fish advice by region
| Group | Advice | Body, country, year |
|---|---|---|
| Adults | At least 2 portions of fish a week, 1 of them oily fish; a portion is around 140 g | NHS, UK [4] |
| Girls and women who have not been through menopause, including those trying for a baby, pregnant or breastfeeding | No more than 2 portions of oily fish a week | NHS, UK [4] |
| Pregnant women | No more than 2 portions of oily fish a week; limits on tuna | NHS, UK [5] |
| Adults | 8 ounces or more of a variety of seafood a week | Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020 to 2025, as summarised by NCCIH [6] |
| Pregnant or breastfeeding women | At least 8 but no more than 12 ounces of a variety of seafood a week, choosing lower-mercury options | US dietary guidance with FDA and EPA, as summarised by NCCIH [6] |
The NHS page lists oily fish as including herring, pilchards, salmon, sardines, sprats, trout and mackerel, and says fresh and canned tuna do not count. [4] See oily fish and official fish-eating advice and mercury by country.
What these tables do not cover
- US ODS, WHO, Australia and other bodies: not read, so not shown.
- Supplements for treating a condition: official intake figures are for the general healthy population. Trial amounts and prescription medicines are covered on Omega-3 evidence by use.
- Upper limits in the US and Canada: not described in the sources we read, so we state none.
Frequently asked questions
What is the official daily amount of omega-3?
There is no single worldwide figure. Health Canada gives ALA adequate intakes in grams by age. EFSA describes 250 mg a day of EPA plus DHA as an adequate intake for healthy adults and children. [2] [1]
Is 250 mg of EPA plus DHA a requirement?
No. EFSA calls it an adequate intake, a level assumed to be enough for a healthy population when there was not enough data for an average requirement. [1]
Is there an upper limit for omega-3?
EFSA concluded in 2012 that data were not sufficient to set a tolerable upper intake level, and said supplemental EPA plus DHA up to 5 g a day did not raise safety concerns for adults. [1] Other bodies may differ, and some trials reported more atrial fibrillation at higher amounts. [7]
What does the NHS say about fish?
At least 2 portions of fish a week, including 1 of oily fish, with no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week for girls and women who have not been through menopause, including those trying for a baby, pregnant or breastfeeding. [4]
Why is there no US figure here?
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements page refused our request, so we could not verify its numbers and do not quote them from memory.
More details: evidence, limits and cautions
The details behind this page: cautions, limits of the evidence and where sources disagree. Open any note to read it.
How to read these tables
Three kinds of figures appear below. ALA is the plant omega-3 and is counted in grams. EPA plus DHA are the marine omega-3 fats and are counted in milligrams. Fish advice is in portions. Keep the three apart. See Omega-3 units explained for the arithmetic.