A systematic review published in Nutrition Research recently highlighted findings from more than 120 peer-reviewed scientific papers on stearidonic acid (SDA), its metabolism, and its health effects.

In the last decade, research on this omega-3 fatty acid has accelerated, as there is a growing recognition of the need for sustainable sources of omega-3s to complement conventional marine-derived sources. Recent research has found that SDA can improve or maintain omega-3 EPA/DHA status in the brain, heart, liver, and adipose tissues, five to six times as fast as the omega-3 ALA, which is found in sources like flaxseed oil.

SDA’s dietary oil sources, including Buglossoides arvensis (branded as Ahiflower by Natures Crops, which is the most potent SDA source), echium, hemp, and black currant seed oils.

The authors’ objective was to provide “an integrated systematic synthesis of the present knowledge on SDA,” to benefit researchers and industry professionals on potential solutions to meet rising global demand for polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Compared to ALA, SDA oils raise blood concentrations of EPA 2.5 to 4 times more than oils containing only ALA. The authors summarize the benefits of EPA status in terms of supporting inflammation resolution in cell membranes and EPA’s helpful metabolic competition with arachidonic acid (ARA), which is involved in pro-inflammatory signaling.

The authors highlight 2024 research on Ahiflower, which concluded that SDA in Ahiflower is synthesized into DHA in brain and liver tissue more rapidly than ALA-only flaxseed oil. Through endogenous turnover, this mechanism may help the brain meet natural requirements at a dose of roughly a gram of Ahiflower oil daily, this study concluded. A 2025 study also concluded that especially high intakes of DHA may inhibit the body’s ability to endogenously create DHA from ALA, SDA, and EPA dietary sources.

The authors also discussed the role of Ahiflower milled seed feeding, which, in layer hens, can raise the DHA content in egg yolks up to 32% more than from flaxseeds, without incurring any PUFA inhibition from DHA itself, showing agricultural applications.

The review discussed SDA’s inflammatory-modulating effects across a range of cell and tissue types, by blocking or inhibiting pro-inflammatory signaling markers and enhancing endothelial markers of higher nitric oxide production, which can improve circulation and lower vascular inflammation markers. SDA-rich Ahiflower oil has also been shown to benefit joint inflammation at the same intake as fish oil in mice, the authors noted. They provide corroborating evidence of reduced inflammasome activation from SDA sources supporting full-term gestation, improved insulin sensitivity, and metabolic response, and neuro-protection.

“All these observations signify that plant-based SDA can act as an authentic anti-inflammatory product across innate immune and vascular compartments, alternate to marine sources,” the authors concluded.

SDA bypasses the need for a key liver enzyme required to metabolize plant-based ALA into EPA and DHA. “It can be safely concluded that ALA and SDA-rich plant-based diet like echium or Ahiflower oil, possibly combined with algal DHA for optimal nutrition, can sustain physiologically sufficient EPA and DHA content terminating the reliance on marine sources,” the authors concluded. The authors note that more research is needed on SDA’s population-specific effects and drug-nutrient interactions, which “could enable extensive utilization of SDA-rich oils in food and feed industries.”

 “This first systematic literature review of omega-3 SDA adds important support for brands, brand holders, and co-manufacturers in supplements, foods, and beverages who are earnestly looking for ways to achieve better nutrient-density, insulin sensitivity, and whole-body anti-inflammatory ‘look well, move well, feel well’ benefits in skin and joints from omega-3 sources, yet at no trade-offs to taste or consumer convenience,” said Greg Cumberford, science lead at Natures Crops International.