/17/2005 - British vegetarians and vegans have lower but stable
plasma concentrations of omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) compared
to their meat-eating compatriots, and the length of time a consumer
adheres to a vegetarian diet has no impact on omega-3 levels, finds a
new study from the University of Oxford.

The research, published in the August issue of the American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 82, No. 2, 327-334, suggests that when animal
foods are wholly excluded from the diet, the endogenous production of
EPA (eicosapentaeoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) results in
low but constant plasma concentrations of these fatty acids.
....
In this latest study researchers at Oxford University and King's
College London compared plasma fatty acid composition in 196
meat-eaters, 231 vegetarians and 232 vegan men in the UK.
....
While proportions of plasma EPA and DHA were lower in the vegetarians
and vegans than in the meat eaters, there was no significant
difference among the vegetarians and vegans after examining the length
of time the men had followed the diet – from between one to 20 years.

-- full story:
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/new...ee-vegetarians