Omega-3 fatty acid

Omega-3 fatty acids — also called ω-3 fatty acids or n-3 fatty acids — are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) with a double bond (C=C) at the third carbon atom from the end of the carbon chain. The fatty acids have two ends, the carboxylic acid (-COOH) end, which is considered the beginning of the chain, thus "alpha", and the methyl (CH₃) end, which is considered the "tail" of the chain, thus "omega". The way in which a fatty acid is named is determined by the location of the first double bond, counted from the methyl end, that is, the omega (ω-) or the n- end.