Oh Mega! Fats! – Omega 3 vs Omega 6 Fats, and Why Your Ratio is Important

Oh mega man, how I love thee.

No not that guy…
More like this guy. (Omega 3 Man to the rescue!)

Ya, that guy is pretty much awesome. I think I just found what I want to be for Halloween.

Or maybe not.

OK back on subject.

I do love Omega 3 fatty acids, and so should you.

Why? Well Omega 3’s make us really happy, they make our brains work, they help with tissue building, help prevent heart disease, lessen the chance of blood clotting, and a wide variety of really cool stuff.

They’re basically essential for healthy living.

But here’s some bad news for ya.
Omega 3’s are disappearing from our diet, and being replaced by it’s “cousin” Omega 6.

Our bodies actually evolved in “cave man times” while eating closer to one part Omega 3 to one part Omega 6. But some compelling evidence has shown that we can get up to about 4 times the Omega 6 as Omega 3 and we should be OK.

Now, don’t get me wrong Omega 6 is actually good for us, but just not in TOO much of a supply. You actually can  eat about 2-4 times as much Omega 6 as you eat of Omega 3.

But today, we’re eating much closer to 10-14 times as much Omega 6 compared to Omega 3. And that’s a LOT of Omega 6.

This is what our ratio looks like now (for most Americans.)

This is what we *used* to eat like while we were evolving, until about 50 years ago with the invention of vegetable oil which is mainly Omega 6.

But it’s not very realistic to be able to constantly eat with a 1 to 1 ratio of Omega 6 to 3, so a 4 to 1 ratio is still pretty good. And that’s what is shown below…

But why should you keep a lower ratio? Because Omega 3 and Omega 6 compete to be used in your body, and if you have too much Omega 6, then Omega 6 will always “win” the battle to be used and basically overwhelm your Omega 3.

So you know all that talk about how you should supplement with Omega 3’s? Well maybe you should, but the benefit of Omega 3 is not *just* from taking an Omega 3 pill. The real benefit is coming from the fact that your equaling out the ratio of your Omega 3 to Omega 6 intake. You could actually do yourself more of a favor if you just decreased your Omega 6 intake rather than trying to “artificially” balancing your ratio.

But if Omega 6 is good, then why does it matter if Omega 6 “wins?”
While it’s true that Omega 6 is an essential fat for your body, too much of it can actually cause bad things to happen in your body. These bad things include: Increased blood clotting, inflammation, heart attacks, thyroid suppression, increased risk of certain cancer and possibly autoimmune diseases (inflammation.)

Do any of these sound familiar? If you’re living in the USA they probably do. And most of our fats these days come from Omega 6 sources. Mainly vegetable oils, and “heart healthy” butter substitutes.

It’s not just important to get Omega 3 into your diet, but it is equally, if not more important to cut down on your Omega 6 intake.

You really need a balance in your diet of Omega 3 and Omega 6 so they can work in your body harmoniously. When you do this, then you decrease your chances of heart disease, inflammation, blood clotting, and many other common ailments found in many Americans today.

In future posts we’ll focus on how to get more Omega 3 into your diet, and how to eliminate Omega 6, with the ultimate goal of balancing our intake and optimizing our health.

Until then, try and cut out your vegetable oils, and maybe get an Omega 3 supplement to even out your ratio a little more.

See ya!