Omega 6’s like omega 3’s are essential fatty acids in our diet. They are vital for healthy body function. Although, the Standard American Diet (SAD) contains far too many of these essential fats and as a result have created havoc in our bodies. The types and amounts of fats we eat can actually shift the state of our cells so that they are either “pro-disease” or “pro-health”. They do so based on powerful hormone substances they produce called prostaglandins. Omega 6’s and 3’s work like a seesaw in our body increasing and decreasing based on the intake of each other. For instance, if there is a large portion of 6’s in our diet, the 3’s diminish. They compete over the same enzymes. When Omega 6’s out number Omega 3’s they dominate and they take over the cells, like bullies. The interesting thing is that these two fats should be optimally in a 1:1 ratio in our bodies for good health. The problem is that in most Americans the ratio of 3:6’s is around 1:10-25. This puts most Americans in a pro-disease state. A ration this high is very pro-inflammatory which is synonymous with pro-disease.
Western diets contain an overabundance of polyunsaturated Omega 6 fatty acids. This group includes vegetable oils like: corn oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, cotton seed oil, and soybean oil. These oils contain linoleic acid. These oils are used in the majority of packaged foods and they have been added to the grains that are fed to livestock and are in beef, chicken, and pork. Omega 6’s metabolize into what can be a detrimental substance when it is out of balance called arachidonic acid. This substance is also derived directly from animal products. The problem with arachidonic acid is that it metabolizes into a pro-inflammatory substance called prostaglandin E2. Inflammation is currently a hot topic and it has been found to be directly and undeniably related to many degenerative conditions. Arachidonic Acid (AA) is known to "turn on" cancer genes and promote more heart attacks. Death from heart disease is directly linear to the amount of Omega 6’s in the diet.
AA is the substance whose production is curtailed with the Cox2 inhibitor drugs, like Celebrex and Vioxx, which yield pain relief, but not without many harmful side effects.
Disease promotion by Omega 6’s includes:
• Promotes inflammation
• Promotes blood clotting
• Promotes production of stress hormones _
• Promotes immune system dysfunction
• Promotes cancer
• Promotes Alzheimer’s disease
• Promotes mood disorders _
• Promotes free radical production
• Promotes GREATER FAT STORAGE
• Promotes poor recovery by sick and surgical patients
• Promotes increased vision problems associated with aging ie: macular degeneration
• Promotes degenerative joint disease and disc disease (herniated and bulging discs)
The typical American diet contains an average of about 13g of Omega 6’s per day. One granola bar or 1 TBS of mayonnaise contains approximately 4 grams of Omega 6’s.
The good news is that this pro-inflammatory enemy to our health can be naturally reduced by eating less of Omega 6’s and increasing our intake of omega 3’s. It's important to just be aware here. I tell patients to think about the fats they are eating. If I go to Houston's, a local restaurant, and eat a grilled chicken salad. When I use 2 TBS of salad dressing, which I am going to give the benefit of the doubt and believe its a vegetable oil base therefore an omega 6, I literally have to go home and take 2 TBS of fish oil just to balance that one meal. With this example it is easy to understand why Americans are so inflamed and disease prone. Here is another story to further make my point.
The people of the Japanese Island of Okinawa once held the record for the longest life expectancy in the world. The US occupied this island after WWII until 1972. Our Western diet influenced the eating habits of Okinawans. They began to ear more meat, less fish and cooked in vegetable oils. These habits resulted in a dramatic rise in the health problems including cancer, allergic reactions, heart, and circulatory diseases. Researchers determined their diets were too low in Omega 3’s and too high in Omega 6’s. 1
Reference:
1. Tribole, M.S., RD, Evelyn, The Ultimate Omega-3 Diet. New York: McGraw Hill. 2007.36
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