Dietary Fatty-Acid Quality, Omega-3 and Omega-6 Intake, and Food Sources Among 18–22-Year-Old Students at a UK University (2016)

Emerging adulthood is a critical period for establishing independent dietary behaviours, yet detailed information on fatty-acid intake and food sources in university populations remains limited. This historical cross-sectional study characterised dietary fatty-acid quality in 111 students aged 18–22 years attending De Montfort University, Leicester, UK, using dietary data collected in early 2016. Habitual dietary intake was assessed using an expanded semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire processed with Nutritics. Total fat, major fatty-acid classes and selected individual fatty acids were examined, while principal food sources were reconstructed using food-composition data. The median total-fat, SFA, MUFA and PUFA intakes were 77.67, 26.87, 28.19 and 11.18 g/day, respectively. Although 85.6% of participants were at or below the UK population benchmark for total fat, 69.4% were above the SFA benchmark. The median EPA+DPA+DHA intake was 0.126 g/day, with 82.9% below the UK long-chain n-3 population benchmark. Major SFA sources included dairy foods, red and processed meat, and discretionary bakery/confectionery products, whereas the largest PUFA contributions arose from discretionary bakery/confectionery products and fried potato/vegetable preparations. These historical findings highlight the value of assessing fatty-acid composition and food sources alongside total-fat intake; however, confirmation in larger, contemporary university cohorts is warranted.