What Are Essential Fatty Acids and Why Is It Important to Keep Them Balanced?

Fat really is an essential nutrient that you need in your diet. Your body is able to make a portion of the fat it needs with the exception of two fatty acids – linoleic acid (omega-6) and alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3). These fatty acids must come from the food you eat. As a result, they’re essential dietary components that your body needs but can’t make. The purpose of these fatty acids is to make two classes of fats called omega-3 fats and omega-6 fats. Both are necessary for health – for a healthy immune system, to make hormones and signaling molecules, for growth and to keep your skin and hair moist and healthy.

Here’s the problem. Most people who eat a typically Western diet consume a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats that is too high, as high as 20 to 1, whereas a healthier ratio would be roughly equal amounts of each or at least no more than 2 or 3 to 1. The problem with a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is omega-6 and omega-3 compete with each other inside your body. If there’s too much omega-6, omega-6 gets incorporated into key chemical pathways over omega-3s.

Why is this a problem? Preliminary research suggests that when omega-6 fats are funneled down certain pathways hormone-like molecules called prostaglandins linked with inflammation are produced. The opposite is true with omega-3s. Omega-3 pathways lead to the production of prostaglandins that have an anti-inflammatory effect.

What does this mean? When you eat a diet rich in omega-6 fats relative to omega-3 you create conditions that are ripe for low-grade inflammation, the type of inflammation that may contribute to a number of chronic health problems including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

 Maintaining a Healthy Balance

You need a certain amount of fat in your diet to supply essential fatty acids but the key is balance. Processed foods are a prime source of omega-6 fats because the oils used in processed foods like corn, soybean and cottonseed oil have a high ratio of omega-6s. Sunflower and safflower oil are also rich in omega-6s. It’s best to avoid processed foods and these oils as much as possible since most people get enough of them in their diet.

What people who eat a Western diet lack are adequate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids to create balance. Remember, omega-6 and omega-3s compete with one another for pathways and when omega-6 predominates it creates compounds linked with inflammation.

How can you restore balance? For one, avoid processed foods and don’t use oils high in omega-6s. The most familiar source of omega-3s are the long-chain ones in fatty fish like wild-caught salmon but there are also short-chain ones. A small percentage of short-chain fatty acids can be converted by your body to long-chain ones. Since long-chain omega-3s may have benefits that short-chain ones don’t, like protection against heart disease and brain health benefits, make sure you’re getting some of each.

Sources of Short-Chain Omega-3s

Short-chain omega-3s are found predominantly in plant-based foods. One of the best sources is flaxseed. To get the benefits, you’ll need to grind them into a powder. Otherwise, the seeds will pass through your body without being absorbed. Walnuts, sesame seeds, soybeans, and mung beads are other excellent sources of short-chain omega-3s.

Adding Healthy Fats to Your Diet

Here are some suggestions for creating a healthier omega-6 to omega-3 ratio in your diet:

Eat fatty fish twice a week for the long-chain omega-3s. Wild-caught salmon, sardines and anchovies are a good choice because they’re lower in mercury than large, predatory fish like swordfish.

Reduce or completely eliminated packaged and processed foods from your diet. Most contain soybean oil that’s high in omega-6s. Plus, soybean oil is often genetically-modified as well.

Sprinkle ground flaxseed and chopped walnuts on hot breakfast cereal. Ground flaxseed also contains lignans that may lower your risk for breast cancer.

Avoid using “pro-inflammatory” oils that are high in omega-6s. These include corn oil, soybean oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, and safflower oil. Extra-virgin olive oil, rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, is a better choice.

 The Bottom Line?

Fat is an essential macronutrient in your diet since you can’t make two fatty acids that are vital for health, alpha-linolenic acid (an omega-3) and linoleic acid (an omega-6). The key is to get roughly equal amounts of each type of fat in your diet. If you eat processed foods, you’re getting a disproportionate amount of omega-6 relative to omega-3. Unless you balance things by consuming more omega-3s, you may be creating an inflammatory environment inside your body that puts you at greater risk for health problems. One way to do this is to add more sources of omega-3s to your diet like fatty fish, flaxseed, and walnuts. Just as importantly, avoid processed foods and don’t cook with oils that have a high omega-6 content.

References:

Linus Pauling Institute. “Essential Fatty Acids”

Exp Biol Med (Maywood) June 2008 233: 674-688.

Can Fam Physician. 2006 June 10; 52(6): 734-740.

J Biol Chem. 2009 Jun 5;284(23):15400-7. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M109.004861.

Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.

2010; 30: 2325-2326.

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