How to Have a Healthy Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio
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How to Have a Healthy Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio


omega-3 salmon dinner

We have all heard how healthy getting enough omega-3 in our diet is for us. But omega-6 is also healthy. In fact, both of these essential fatty acids are needed by our body for good health. The problem is that the standard diet today is far too high in the omega-6 fatty acids. Actually, most of the major health problems today are because of an unhealthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Learn what foods you should cut out or add to your diet for a healthy low omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.

Our diet has both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. The more omega-6 fatty acids we eat as compared to omega-3 fatty acids, the more health problems we might have. The amount of omega-6 foods we get in our daily diet compared with the amount of omega-3 foods is the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. This ratio might be the most important aspect of good health.

What are Omega-3 Fatty Acids


Omega-3 fatty acid is an essential fatty acid because our bodies cannot make them; we have to get it through our daily diet and or supplements. Omega-3 is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). Many studies have been done that prove diets high in omega-3 fatty acids lower the risk of heart disease.

There are different types of omega-3 fatty acids, with Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) being the most discussed. These types of omega-3 fatty acids can be found in salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, halibut, and herring. The EPA and the DHA forms of omega-3 are utilized by our body the best.

Another type of omega-3 fatty acid is alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) and can be found in plant foods including walnuts and flaxseed or flaxseed oil. ALA is not as readily used by our body, but enough can be converted to EPA and DHA. For more about the different types of Omega-3 fatty acids please read How Vegetarians Can Get Omega-3.

What are Omega-6 Fatty Acids


Omega-6 is also an essential fatty acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s) and important for good health. Omega-6 has different forms of fatty acids including linoleic acid (LA), which should not be confused with the ALA found in omega-3 and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).

Most of the omega-6 in our diet is the linoleic acid type and is found in vegetable oils like corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, cottonseed oil, and safflower oil. Meat contains omega-6 fatty acids, though grass-fed beef also contains omega-3 and has a much healthier omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than feedlot beef.

Oils made from certain plants including evening primrose oil, black currant seed oil, and borage oil contain gamma-linolenic acid. GLA can reduce certain health problems such as eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and menopause symptoms

An Unhealthy Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio Causes Disease


The normal diet in America today is far too high in the omega-6 fatty acids, which causes an unhealthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. When you look at what goes into snack foods and processed foods, you can see they are all made with vegetable oils that are very high in omega-6 like corn oil, soybean oil, and sunflower oil.

Look at the ingredients in most of the foods in your kitchen and you will see the majority of them contain vegetable oils. Add in all of the fast foods and this can lead up to a very unhealthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in our daily diet.

Humans evolved eating an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 1:1. Between 1935 and 1939 the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was 8.4:1 and by 1985, this ratio jumped to 10:1. With today’s standard Western diet, the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is as high as 25:1 and Americans now get 20% of their calories from soybean oil alone [1].

Even though omega-6 is essential to our health, it has to balance out with omega-3. Omega-6 competes with omega-3 in our body and too much omega-6 can cancel out the healthy omega-3 that we get in our diet.

This unhealthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio has caused and continues to cause many of our health problems today. It is interesting to note that the increase in many health problems we see today started with the advent of these highly processed foods that contain a great deal of omega-6 fatty acids.

Optimal Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratios for Good Health


There are many studies now that prove a diet with a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio causes many of our health problems. A report by The Center for Genetics, Nutrition, and Health found the following ratios would help certain health conditions [2].

  • A diet with an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of 4:1 reduced the risk of death by 70% from cardiovascular disease.
  • A ratio of 2.5:1 was found to reduce cell proliferation (increase in cells) in colorectal cancer but a ratio of 4:1 had no effect.
  • A ratio of between 2:1 and 3:1 reduced inflammation in those with rheumatoid arthritis.
  • A ratio of 5:1 helped patients with asthma but a ratio of 10:1 had an adverse effect.
  • A lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio was also found to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

A diet with a healthy omega-3 to omega-6 ratio can alleviate or reduce the risk of the following health conditions:


How to Have a Healthy Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio 


For optimal health, it is best to reduce the amount of processed foods,snack foods and junk foods that contain high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids and replace them with foods that do contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. You can do the following to have a healthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio level:

  • Add more omega-3 foods to your diet like wild-caught salmon, sardines, flax seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, leafy greens, and seaweed like dulse and wakame.
  • If you don’t like fish, you can take omega-3 supplements that are made from algae, which is very high in DHA omega-3.
  • Lower the amount of omega-6 foods in your diet, especially refined seed and vegetable oils and the foods that are made with them like processed foods and junk food.
  • Reduce the saturated fat in your diet.
  • Eliminate refined white flour products and only eat whole grains. Eat more whole foods in your diet.
  • If you are a vegan or eat a plant-based diet, please read Plant-Based Diet: How to Get Essential Vitamins and Nutrients.
Eating a plant-based whole food diet without oil is the perfect way to achieve a very healthy omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of about 2:1. This way of eating will eliminate all processed junk foods from the diet along with all of the unhealthy oils that come with those foods.

People that eat a whole food plant-based diet lose weight, lower bad cholesterol numbers, lower high blood pressure and can also reverse type II diabetes, heart disease and many other types of illness. By lowering the huge amount of omega 6 in a standard American diet, the ratio will become healthy automatically. Added omega 3 foods like ground flax seed also raises the omega 3 in this type of diet.

Conclusion

 
It sounds simple, but when you realize just how many omega-6 containing foods we eat every day, you will then realize why the omega-6 to omega-3 ratios are so high. This high ratio is the main reason for the increase in many of the health problems today. For good health, try to eat a healthy diet so that your omega-6 to omega-3 is ideal.

Note: Always check with your doctor before taking any supplements. Supplements taken with medications can be dangerous.

About the Author

Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Copyright © Sam Montana February 2012-2018

References:

[1] American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 71, No. 1, 179S-188S, January 2000
[2] PubMed - Omega 3 fatty acids in bipolar disorder: a preliminary double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry.1999 May;56(5):407-12
[2] PubMed - The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. Biomed Pharmacother 2002 Oct;56(8):365-79
[3] PubMed - Omega-3 fatty acids: evidence basis for treatment and future research in psychiatry. J Clin Psychiatry. 2006 Dec;67(12):1954-67 
How To Have a Healthy Omega-3 to Omega-6 Ratio

 
Author: Sam Montana
Labels: Omega Fatty Acids