If you have spent any time reading about fish oil, you have run into omega 3. If you have spent time reading about sea buckthorn or seabuckthorn, you have run into omega 7, a fatty acid with a much smaller research footprint and a much less familiar name. Omega 7 vs omega 3, what is the actual difference, is a fair question, because the two get lumped together in casual conversation as though they are interchangeable. They are not.
The one-sentence answer: omega 3 and omega 7 are different fatty acid families entirely, one polyunsaturated and one monounsaturated, found in different foods and studied for different roles in the body.
What makes a fatty acid "omega 3" or "omega 7" in the first place?
The number refers to the position of the first double bond in the fatty acid's carbon chain, counting from the tail end of the molecule. Omega 3 fatty acids, such as ALA, EPA and DHA, have that first double bond three carbons in, and they carry more than one double bond total, which makes them polyunsaturated. Omega 7 fatty acids, the most researched being palmitoleic acid, have their first double bond seven carbons in, and they carry only one double bond, which makes them monounsaturated. This is not a small technicality. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats behave differently in the body, oxidize at different rates, and show up in different research literatures.
Where does the body encounter each one?
Omega 3 is abundant in fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines), flaxseed, walnuts and algae oil. It is one of the more heavily marketed nutrients in the supplement aisle, and most people have heard of it because of decades of cardiovascular and cognitive research. Omega 7, and palmitoleic acid specifically, shows up in far fewer foods at meaningful concentration. Macadamia nut oil and sea buckthorn pulp oil are the two most cited plant sources. Whole sea buckthorn puree carries omega 7 alongside omega 3, 6 and 9, all four in one fruit, which is part of why the berry keeps appearing in fatty acid research.
What has each one actually been studied for?
Omega 3's research base is large: cardiovascular markers, triglycerides, inflammation, cognitive and eye development. Omega 7's research base is smaller and newer. A 2017 review in Advances in Nutrition by Frigolet and Gutierrez-Aguilar examined palmitoleic acid's associations with insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism markers in both animal and limited human research (PMC5227969). It is important to say plainly what that review did not establish: it did not test whole sea buckthorn puree, it worked primarily with isolated palmitoleic acid and animal models, and it did not claim palmitoleic acid treats or prevents any disease. It observed associations worth further study, nothing more, nothing less.
Where does Human Renaissance fit?
Human Renaissance is the only sea buckthorn purée in the world sold in a single-serve pouch. 190+ naturally occurring compounds, omega 3, 6, 7 and 9, 201 mg of vitamin C per pouch, 0 g sugar, 5,640 hand-picked berries per box.
What the berry itself contains is label-verified: omega 3, 6, 7 and 9 together, all in one whole fruit, is not something most single-ingredient foods can claim. What research has observed about palmitoleic acid, the form that research used (isolated compound, not whole puree), and what Human Renaissance has actually demonstrated (a whole-fruit puree carrying all four omega families, nothing isolated, nothing added) are three separate facts. Keeping them separate is the honest way to read any fatty acid research, omega 3 or omega 7.
Omega 3 vs omega 7
Omega 3 WELL KNOWN
- Polyunsaturated, multiple double bonds
- Found in fatty fish, flax, walnuts, algae oil
- Large research base: heart, brain, eyes
- ALA, EPA and DHA are the common forms
Omega 7 LESS FAMILIAR
- Monounsaturated, one double bond
- Concentrated in macadamia oil and sea buckthorn pulp oil
- Smaller, newer research base: insulin sensitivity, lipids
- Palmitoleic acid is the studied form
Classification is by chemical structure (double bond position and count), not by which is "better." Research volume reflects how long each has been studied, not proven superiority.
Whole sea buckthorn puree is one of the few whole foods that puts omega 3, 6, 7 and 9 in the same spoonful, rather than asking you to source each fatty acid family from a different bottle. If you want to see how that compares to the more filtered forms of the same berry, our puree vs oil comparison and our piece on omega 7 and palmitoleic acid go deeper on each side of this fatty acid picture. When you are ready to see the whole berry for yourself, the sea buckthorn puree is a 60-day supply of one ingredient, pressed whole, nothing filtered out.
