As with omega 3, omega 6 fatty acids are also essential for good health and should be included in a balanced diet. The key is to make them in the right proportion with respect to omega 3.
What is omega 6 and what is it for?
There is a lot of talk, and there are compelling reasons for this, about the benefits of including omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. Omega 6, on the other hand, go more unnoticed among the population as they are incorrectly considered less healthy. As the biologist, nutritionist and member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Mariola Melero, explains, “Omega 6 (n-6 PUFA) belongs to the family of polyunsaturated fatty acids, along with omega 3 (n-3 PUFA). Both play important roles in human health, with antagonistic effects, but necessary”.
Both families of fatty acids present, in turn, different forms of polyunsaturated fatty acids. In the omega 3 family we find α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In the omega 6 there are linoleic acid (LA), dihomo-γ-linolenic acid (DGLA) and arachidonic acid (AA). If we stop to think about these acronyms, they are common on the packaging of some foods with ‘healthy’ fatty acids and the consumer is not always clear what they refer to.
Maintaining an adequate intake of foods rich in both acids helps optimize fundamental biological functions for the body. Omega 6 is involved in the maintenance of cellular structures, cardiovascular health and brain health, among other functions. “Compounds derived from omega 6 are involved in inflammation, platelet aggregation and vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels), while those from omega 3 inhibit inflammation and platelet aggregation and promote vasodilation (dilation of blood vessels). ). ),” comments the nutritionist.
Benefits of omega 6
Regarding this bad reputation of omega 6, the evidence says that we must banish it. Not only is its consumption not harmful, but it will help us against certain diseases. “The contribution of omega 6 is as important as that of omega 3. The problem is that currently there is a disproportionate consumption of the former. Omega 6 have a proinflammatory character and this is necessary for the proper functioning of the body.»
The poorly understood Western diet usually involves excessive consumption of omega 6 and insufficient consumption of omega 3. «This imbalance leads us to a state of continuous inflammation that harms us, much more so when there are also diseases or health conditions that worsen.» with the increase in internal signals of inflammation.”
Omega 6-omega 3 ratio
To be healthy, intakes of omega 6 and 3 fatty acids must maintain a specific proportion. This is what is known as the omega 6 to omega 3 ratio. Official recommendations have established a relationship around 5-1, that is, 5 grams of omega 6 for every gram of omega 3.
And that is the problem: that these proportions have been far from being correct for a long time. In the last 100 years, we Westerners have increased our consumption of omega 6 fats disproportionately. «Above all, we have increased the consumption of seed or palm oils, very common in processed foods. At the same time, the consumption of omega 3 has been reducing,» says Melero.
Some studies have currently observed dietary patterns rich in processed foods that reveal that for every 20 grams of omega 6, only 1 gram of omega 3 is ingested. In some South Asian countries, ratios of 50 grams of omega 3 have been observed. 6 for only 1 gram of omega 3. This imbalance disrupts the inflammation and anti-inflammation mechanisms of the human body. “This disproportion has possibly contributed more than any other dietary factor to the significant increase in the prevalence of systemic and body tissue inflammation, as well as overweight and obesity. «All of these risk factors lead to the development of coronary heart disease, hypertension, cancer, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and other autoimmune and possibly neurodegenerative pathologies.»
Contraindications to the consumption of omega 6
Omega 6 fatty acids have no contraindications in their adequate amount. Like all nutrients, when they are in balance with each other and in the context of a balanced diet, they do not have counterproductive effects on health.
Foods rich in omega 6
We find omega 6 in:
- Linoleic acid (LA): vegetable oils (sunflower, safflower, corn, cottonseed, soy, coconut and palm), seeds and nuts (grape, rapeseed, poppy, hemp and almond), nuts (Brazil nuts, walnuts, pine nuts and hazelnuts)
- Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA): evening primrose, borage, blackcurrant seed oils
- Arachidonic acid (AA): Animal fats (meat and derivatives, dairy products)
Do foods with omega 3 and 6 make you fat?
When we talk about fatty acids, or, using street language, when we talk about fats, alarm bells go off about whether foods that contain this type of fat make you fat. An unfounded fear that was born in the anti-obesity campaigns of the 80s that demonized fatty foods to sell low-fat light products.
Foods rich in omega 3 (fatty fish, shellfish, walnuts, flax seeds, chia), as well as those that provide omega 6, within a balanced diet, do not cause weight gain. “What’s more, these fats will integrate into the cell membranes of the tissues, exercising their beneficial functions for the body. Now, a diet with excess energy will favor weight gain, since that excess will be stored in the form of fat,” clarifies the nutritionist.
The key to not gaining weight and taking advantage of the benefits of these nutrients is in moderation and respecting the aforementioned proportion. Otherwise, a very high consumption of omega 6 over 3, it has been shown that the normal physiological state can lead to a prothrombotic state, that is, to a state with the probability that clots form easily in the body, and proaggregatory, which will produce an increase in the viscosity of the blood, causing the blood vessels to constrict and narrow and ultimately resulting in a blockage of blood flow through them.
The ALDI Council
Omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids are like yin and yang: they must always be in balance. Don’t forget to regularly consume oily fish and nuts to fill your omega 3 deposits.
Mariola Melero. Member of the Spanish Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Responsible for the Mariola Melero Nutrition Center since 2006, whose objective is nutritional education based on the Mediterranean diet and addressing individual needs. Support for overweight and obesity. Treatment in different pathologies. Nutritional treatment of functional digestive pathology. Continuing training teacher in the area of Nutrition, health and food. She has a Degree in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Lda. Biological Sciences, Master in Clinical Nutrition, Higher Technician in Dietetics. The latest training courses carried out deal with microbiota, functional digestive pathology and in-depth study of nutraceuticals and supplements in Clinical Nutrition. www.dieteticamelero.com. Instagram: @nutricionydieteticamelero FB: Nutrition and Dietetics Melero
