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ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS
The following essential fatty acid (EFA) information represents an average for both Alpha Sun® and Omega Sun®# Super Blue Green® Algae as determined by independent laboratory analysis. Four capsules of either Alpha Sun or Omega Sun equal one gram.

Lipid Analysis Averages Amount per 250 mg capsule
Total Lipid (fat) content Avg: 4.4% of dry weight 11 mg per capsule
  Total Saturated Fat 43% 4.7 mg
  Total Unsaturated Fat 57% 6.3 mg
Total Essential Fatty Acids 45% 5.0 mg
  Total Omega-3 essential fatty acids 38% 4.1 mg
    Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) 37% 4.1 mg
    Eicosapentanoic Acid (EPA) 0.4% .04 mg
    Docosapentaenoic Acid (DPA) <.1%* <.01 mg
    Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) <.1%* <.01 mg
  Total Omega-6 essential fatty acids 8% 0.9 mg
    Linoleic Acid (LA) 8% 0.9 mg
    Arachidonic Acid (AA) .1% 0.01 mg

*Note: Some analyses have detected DHA and DPA in very small quantities.

Approximately 45% of the lipids (fats) within SBGA are essential fatty acids. We do not have an analysis of the essential fatty acid content of all of our products; however, as all SBGA products contain algae, all will contain a measure of the fatty acids listed above.

EFAs and algae. Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (AFA) algae, the ultimate photosynthesizer, contains both LA* and ALA in an ideal balance (more ALA). The researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital who studied its fat content concluded that AFA was a good source of the most valuable fatty acids and "should be a valuable nutritional resource" (Kushak et al. Favorable effects of blue-green algae Aphanizomenon flos-aquae on rat plasma lipids. JANA 2(3):59-65). Interestingly, they found that it raises the blood levels of the good fatty acids far more than would be expected based on its ALA content alone. They concluded that something about the algae - probably its range of micronutrients - was helping the animals to utilize the fatty acids they were getting from other sources as well as those in the algae. The balancing effect was impressive: not only did the levels of "good" fatty acids (ALA, EPA, DHA) go up, but also the levels of the troublemaker, arachidonic acid, went down.

* Linoleic acid (LA) - the essential omega-6 fatty acid
Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, for short) - the essential omega-3 fatty acid
# Since the cell wall is removed, the amount of essential fatty acids per gram is somewhat higher for Omega Sun.