In my last article of chronic inflammation, I mentioned that one of the causes of rogue inflammation is the imbalance levels of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in our diet. This may come as a surprise to some people as we have been brought up to believe that vegetable oils, where most of our omega-6 fats come from, are supposed to be good for health.
If we examine this imbalance closer, it’s not hard to see why it’s so prevalent. After all, ‘heart-healthy’ vegetable oils such as soybean, safflower, sunflower, corn and cottonseed oil are found in almost every food that we eat, even those served at high-end restaurants and in our own homes. But unknown to many, the high omega-6 and low omega-3 fats profile in these oils (as much as 200:1!) is setting the stage for chronic inflammation to take place.
Even health-conscious individuals can unwittingly tip the omega fats balance against themselves. You can avoid all red meat and foods prepared with lard or butter, or even be a strict vegetarian, and yet have an overwhelming levels of omega-6 fats.
The truth is, many healthful foods found in specialty stores are coated with a layer of cheap vegetable oil to enhance their taste and texture. You can be munching on a bag of roasted nuts, thinking that you’re supplying your body with potent proteins, minerals and vitamins. But you are forgetting that along with the nuts, you are also ingesting a high amount of omega-6 fats that are quietly derailing your best efforts to promote health.
If given the free rein, the imbalance between the two omega fats can wreak havoc on our health and pave the way for life-destroying illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, cancer and other inflammatory diseases.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fats: A Balancing Act
Why is it so important to strike a balance between the levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fats in our body? Study showed that an out-of-balance diet that’s high in omega-6 fatty acids disrupts the balance of pro and anti inflammatory agents in the body, promoting chronic inflammation and elevating the risk of health problem such as asthma, allergies, diabetes and arthritis.
It turned out that the two types of fatty acids utilize the same enzymes and transport systems to produce biochemicals in our body. When there’s more omega-6 fats, greater amounts of inflammatory compounds will be created, and less enzymes will be available for omega-3 fats to create chemicals that are anti-inflammatory. What’s even more shocking is that high levels of omega-6 fatty acids can actually replace and reduce omega-3 fats.
In another words, the omega-3 and omega-6 fats compete with one another in our body, and the presence of one greatly affects the behavior of the other. While omega-6 fatty acids are essential for good health, when they cross a certain level, researchers believe that’s when they start to edge out omega-3 fats and diminish their benefits.
What does this mean to you? Picture this: If your diet is low in omega-3 fats to begin with, and most of your foods are predominantly prepared with soybean, sunflower, safflower, corn or cottonseed oil, then you’re essentially fueling an inflammatory factory even though you may be eating the so-called ‘healthy’ food!
To win this balancing act, let us first understand more about the omega-3 and omega-6 fats.
What are Omega-3 & Omega-6 Fats?
and why plants may not be a good source of omega-3
Ask anyone what is omega-3 fatty acid and most likely you will get the answer ‘fish oil’. But omega-3 fats aren’t found only in fishes, and neither do they consist of just one type of fatty acid.
Omega-3 is actually a term referring to a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In this family, you will find a number of members, out of which the most nutritionally notable ones are: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Likewise, omega-6 fatty acids also consist of a group of polyunsaturated fats. The ones of concern are linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA).
Let us take a closer look at the two omega families:
The Omega-3 Fat Family
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Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). ALA is the parent in the omega-3 family and can be found predominantly in plant sources such as flaxseeds, hemp seeds, walnuts and dark green leafy vegetables. This short-chain fatty acid is considered an essential nutrient because our body can’t produce it on its own.
Being the head of the family, ALA can technically be converted into other long-chain omega-3 fats such as EPA and DHA. But in real life, studies found that the ALA conversion rate in the body is dismally low. In fact, only about 1% of ALA is converted to EPA and negligible amount is turned into DHA. The conversion of ALA is even lower if your intake of omega-6 fats is high. A more direct and efficient way to boost your levels of long-chain omega-3 fats, as research has found, is by taking EPA and DHA-rich supplements or foods.
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Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). EPA is a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid that is found in oil fish and certain algae such as spirulina. EPA is converted into hormone-like substances called prostaglandins by the body to regulate cell activity and maintain healthy cardiovascular function. The anti-inflammatory properties of EPA and DHA have been backed by numerous studies, ranging from keeping blood cholesterol levels and depression in check, to stroke and cancer prevention.
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Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). DHA is another long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fats found in abundance in fatty fish and some algae. In the body, it is the predominant omega 3 fatty acid in the brain and the retina, so an adequate supply of DHA is essential for proper brain, eyes and nerve functions. Low levels of DHA have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
The Omega-6 Fat Family
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Linoleic acid (LA). LA is the parent in the omega-6 family. Like ALA, it’s also considered an essential fatty acid for the body which must be obtained through one’s diet. However, it’s more likely that you’ve an oversupply rather than a lack of linoleic acid due to the high levels of this fatty acid in vegetable oils.
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Arachidonic acid (AA). Arachidonic acid comes mainly from animal sources such as meat, egg and dairy products. It can also be derived from the linoleic acids in vegetable oils. In the body, this long-chain omega-6 fatty acid is found in abundance in the muscles and brain, with almost similar quantities as DHA in the latter. As arachidonic acid is more readily converted to inflammatory compounds, excess levels of AA has been associated with increased inflammation and reduced anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 fatty acids.
How Much Omega-3 & Omega-6 Do You Need?
At this point, you’re probably thinking how much omega-3 and omega-6 fats do you really need? Let us hear what the experts from the International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) got to say:
Omega-3 Fats:
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ISSFAL recommends at least a combined total of 500mg of EPA and DHA long-chain omega-3s each day for healthy adults. This amount is found to be effective in reducing the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease significantly.
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If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you should aim for at least 200mg of DHA a day.
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For ALA, the short-chain omega 3, the recommended healthy intake is about 0.7 percent of daily total calories (about 1.5g).
Omega-6 Fats:
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The expert group sees no strong evidence to recommend a minimum intake of omega-6 fatty acids. Instead it states that an adequate linoleic acid intake for healthy development is two percent of daily total calories (about 4.4g).
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ISSFAL recognizes that there are possible unhealthy effects of excessive intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. But it stopped short of putting forward an upper limit for linoleic acid due to insufficient data to determine a precise value.
However, it is worth to note that other national bodies have recommended a limit on the consumption of linoleic acid to prevent coronary heart disease and other chronic illnesses. For instance, the Japan Society for Lipid Nutrition recommended the intake of linoleic acid intake to be reduced to three to four percent of energy in the Japanese diet, which already contains higher amounts of beneficial omega-3 fats than typical western diet.
Tilting the Omega Fats Balance in Your Favor
Okay, since it’s so important to keep the two omega fats in balance, can’t we resolve that by just eating more fish, or pop some fish oil capsules?
That’s a good start but unfortunately, it isn’t the whole answer.
Several studies have found that it’s not helpful to boost your omega-3 fats consumption without lowering high omega-6 fats intake. To get more bang for your bucks, you need to lower your omega-6 to omega-3 essential fatty acids ratio to about 2:1. If you follow ISSFAL’s recommendations printed earlier and keep your linoleic acid intake to about two percent of your total calories each day, you won’t be too far off.
Note: At this point, it’s tempting to think that omega-6 is the ultimate bad guy we should eliminate and omega-3 is the hero we need to have more of. This is a misleading and dangerous viewpoint. Every nutrient has its place, including omega-6 fats, and shouldn’t be eliminated altogether.
The key here is moderation. Anything in excess is bad for us, even if it’s good. For instance, we know that extra virgin olive oil is a potent anti-inflammatory food that confers heart-protecting compounds. But it’s still full of fats and over-consumption of any fat can lead to unwanted weight gain and obesity, no matter how good it may be.
How to Lower Omega-6 Fats Intake
With the right attitude in mind, let’s look at some practical ways to bring down the amounts of omega-6 fats in our diet:
Cut Your Omega-6
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Change your cooking oil. After coming this far, this should be an obvious step to take. Vegetable oils that contain obscene amounts of omega-6 and minuscule levels of omega-3 fatty acids should be replaced with olive oil (canola oil is a distant second alternative). The top offenders are grape seed, cottonseed, sunflower, safflower, corn and soybean oils. For a list of fat content in common cooking oils, check out this site.
Note: Flaxseed oil turns rancid extremely fast once it has been squeezed out, so unless you live next to an oil processing factory, I don’t recommend you to buy it.
As for walnut oil, you’ll discover from the link above that while it contains high levels of omega-3 fats, it also scored very high for omega-6.
But these cautions shouldn’t stop you from eating a handful of walnuts and flaxseeds once or twice a week for their antioxidants. Just don’t use them in their concentrated form.
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Limit processed foods. This is perhaps one of the best, but admittedly drastic, ways to cut omega-6 fats. But the fact remained that most processed food manufacturers use cheap vegetable oils to mass produce their products. If you choose whole foods over processed ones, you can probably slash a third or more of omega-6 fats from your life. Take heart, however, if this sounds too ‘revolutionary’. There are other ways to cut down omega-6 fats from your diet.
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Scrutinize food labels like a hawk. This is a life-saving habit everyone should cultivate. Not just to check the fats content in the food products that you buy, but also the other vital information like sodium, protein and ingredients used. This will, in some ways, prevent you from being tricked by clever but often misleading marketing campaigns.
As far as omega-6 fats are concerned, avoid or limit foods that use high amounts of the types of vegetable oils listed in point 1.
Tip: There’s actually a free computer program called Keep It Managed version 2 for both PC and Mac that gives you the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid contents of over 9,000 food types. Download it if you are concerned about your omega fats intake.
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Be careful of dressings, margarine, mayonnaise and spreads. Lots of omega-6 fats can be hiding in these soybean or vegetable oil-derived concoctions! Instead, look for healthier alternatives made with olive or canola oil.
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Opt for fat-free or low-fat foods. If given a choice, choose the lower fat version. This will have to prevent more omega-6 fats from getting into your body. Of course, read the ingredient list to make sure no other harmful additives are added in place of the fats.
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Avoid deep fried foods. Not only are they coated with a thick layer of omega-6 fats, the cooking process also introduced compounds that could cause cancer.
How to Increase Omega-3 Fats Intake
After taking care of the omega-6s, it’s time to tackle the omega-3s:
Boost Your Omega-3
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Be a discerning cat. Contrary to common beliefs, to increase your omega-3 fats intake, you don’t need to eat fish everyday. Eating two portions of fish per week, including one portion of oily fish, is enough to boost your blood levels of omega-3s. Having said that, if you eat seafood other than fish, you may need more portions per week as the omega-3 levels in them are usually lower.
But since almost every sea on this planet has been tainted, it’s crucial to choose your seafood careful to make sure you’re not ingesting mercury and dioxins along with omega-3s. Some good choices are wild salmon, sardines and anchovies. Check out the Environmental Defense Fund’s website for a useful list of eco-friendly and safe seafood to eat.
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Seek out EPA and DHA fortified foods. Increasingly, we are seeing more products that have been enriched with EPA and DHA for all types of consumers, including vegetarians.
But make sure that the products are also low in omega-6 fats. It won’t do you any good to increase your omega-6 levels further even though you may be getting more long-chain omega-3 fats. And please don’t assume that the omega-3 stamp on the package refers to EPA and DHA. It could well be ALA only. Make sure you see the words EPA and/or DHA clearly printed before buying.
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Don’t dismiss ALA food sources. Alpha-linolenic acid is usually found in plants. Although our body isn’t quite efficient in converting ALA to EPA and DHA, that doesn’t mean we should eat less fruits and vegetables. Plants such as flaxseeds and dark leafy green vegetables provide us with more than just ALA. They are also important sources of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants that strengthen and protect our health.
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Buy free-range or pasture fed meats. As opposed to animals that are grain fed, free-range or pasture fed animals have comparatively higher amounts of EPA and DHA. But still, they are unlikely to beat fish anytime soon.
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Pop EPA & DHA supplements. You should try to meet all your omega-3 requirements through your diet. But if you are a vegetarian, don’t like seafood or suffering from a health condition that may benefit from higher dosage of omega-3s, taking supplement is an option to consider (with your physician’s blessings, of course). Young children may also benefit from supplementation as they are often picky about the food they eat.
There are a number of EPA and DHA supplements available. Besides fish oil capsules, there are also plant-based EHA and DPA supplements that are derived from seaweeds.
Before you buy your next fish oil supplement, be sure to check out these useful tips first.
Note: If you are planning to take EPA/DHA supplement, make sure you are not also taking any medication or supplement that may have their effects intensified by omega-3 fats (such as blood thinner and diabetic drugs). Consult a trained health care practitioner if in doubt.
By being more mindful about the food you eat each day, it’s not difficult to attain a well-balanced omega fats profile and shift your body to anti-inflammatory mode. What say you?
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[...] Ho of The Conscious Life presents a through and well written article exploring How to Get the Most Out of Omega-3 Fats. Learn how to tilt the omega fats balance in your favor and turn your body into a powerful [...]
GREAT article!! I read about the pro-inflammatory effects of Omega 6, but did not know how to manage my diet to balance them out… Thank you!!
Hey Xochitl, thanks. I’m glad that you find this article useful. Do note that omega-6 is not all bad. It’s an essential fatty acid that we need for good health. But, modern diets often have too much of omega-6 and too little omega-3, causing a great imbalance. So, the takeaway message here is to ensure a ‘balance’ in the intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fats in our diets. I wish you good health and peaceful mind!
Loved the information in this article but I am wondering about the difference between Omega-6 GLA and LA. Is GLA inflammatory and while we are at it, what about Omega 9 Oleic Acid? Thank you for your help. Where does GLA fall into this picture of dos and dont’s? Pros and cons?
So sorry to take so long to respond, Doreen!
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is a type of omega-6 fatty acids that is found in borage oil, blackcurrant seed oil and evening primrose oil (borage contains the highest). Through the help of enzyme, our body can also produce GLA from linoleic acid (LA), but the conversion can be impaired due to a number of reasons, such as the presence of degenerative diseases, trans fats, excess consumption of sugar and alcohol, and the lack of zinc and vitamin Bs.
Though gamma-linolenic acid is a member of the omega-6 family, it exhibits anti-inflammatory properties. This is because unlike linoleic acid which competes with alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fats, for the same enzyme, GLA doesn’t.
In addition, gamma-linolenic acid is metabolized into something called dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA) in the body. DGLA is anti-inflammatory as it inhibits the formation of pro-inflammatory compounds from arachidonic acid (AA). DGLA also produces eicosanoids that display anti-inflammatory effects.
However, despite the anti-inflammatory properties of gamma-linolenic acid, there is a lack of high-quality evidence for its medical use. Some people with eczema reported good results with borage and evening primrose oils, and some studies also suggested the beneficial effects of GLA on rheumatoid arthritis and heart disease. But large scale studies are still needed before you’ll find doctors recommending them to patients. I’ll touch on oleic acid in my next follow-up comment. Thank you.
Oleic acid is a different type of fatty acid from omega-3 and omega-6. It’s a monounsaturated (only one double bond in the fatty acid chain) omega-9 fatty acid.
Oleic acid is found in abundance in olive oil (55 to 80%) but it can also be found in peanut oil (36 to 67%) and grape seed oil (15 to 20%). You’ve probably heard many beneficial effects of olive oil. And oleic acid is believed to play an important role in these benefits. The protective effects of oleic acid include its ability to reduce one’s risk of coronary heart disease and breast cancer. It’s also found to lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels.
But do remember that any oil (in fact pretty much any food), including good ones like olive oil, when taken in amounts that your body doesn’t need or can’t cope with can cause an increase in body fat and lead to overweight and obesity. So, moderation is still the key to good health.