Do vegetarians need more ALA?
Vegetarians diets tend to be low in ALA, and total requirements for omega-3 may be higher for vegetarians than non-vegetarians. The AI (adequate intake) for ALA, released by the National Academies in their Dietary Reference Intakes Report for Energy and Macronutrients, is 1.6 g for men and 1.1 g for women per day, aged 19 to > 70 years. Other recommendations include the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) Working Group which recommends an AI of 1% of calories for ALA, and Health Canada, which recommends an intake of ALA of 0.5% of calories. Vegetarians may require an intake of ALA in the range of 1-2% of total calories.
