There is plenty of research to support the benefits of adding omega-3 fatty acids to our diets to improve heart health but what about omega-6 fatty acids? Recently there has been some debate about the health effects of omega-6 fatty acids, some suggest that they may promote inflammation and increase cardiovascular risk?
Omega-6 fatty acids are found in nuts, seeds and vegetable oils. Linoleic acid is the main omega-6 fatty acid found in foods. Linoleic acid can form arachidonic acid which is involved in the early stages of inflammation (inflammation has been linked to heart disease). But both linoleic and arachidonic acid also are involved in the formation of anti-inflammatory particles. Recent studies have found that people who ate omega-6 fatty acids actually had a lower incidence of heart disease and people with heart disease have lower levels of omega-6 fatty acids in their blood. Omega-6 fatty acids may help lower the risk of heart disease when they are used to replace saturated fats in our diets.
The American Heart Association recommends that adults try to get at least 5 to 10% of their daily calories from omega-6 fatty acids (approximately 12 to 22 grams per day, dependent upon your daily caloric intake). Most adults are probably already consuming this amount by eating nuts, salad dressing, and from oils. Remember moderation is key. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids should be part of your overally healthy eating plan.
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In 1999, there was enough scientific evidence of harm from eating excess omega-6 fat, which prompted scientists to recommend an upper limit to no more than 6.7 grams per day (which is a maximum of 3% of fat calories from omega-6 fat).
Now, ten years later, the American Heart Association is urging people to continue to eat more than double that amount!
While I would not expect a heart scientist to be an expert on cancer, I would certainly hope that if heart experts are claiming that there is no harm from eating the current high levels of omega-6 fat, that they would use an inter-disciplinary approach to confirm their thinking. That’s not what happened.
Large studies from the USA, France and Sweden indicate a compelling link between high intakes of omega-6 fat and the development of breast cancer.
For example, in a case-control study on nearly 1700 women, researchers demonstrated that women with a particular gene, had a two-fold increase in breast cancer risk if they ate high levels of omega-6 fat. Yet, this genotype had no influence on cancer risk, if these women ate a lower omega-6 fat diet.
Conspicuously absent from AHA’s report were the findings of the famous study, which made the Mediterranean diet a household name—the Lyon Diet Heart study.
This large study involved two groups patients, who were fed either a Mediterranean diet (low in omega-6 polyunsaturated fat) or a diet advocated by the American Heart Association, with indiscriminate use of polyunsaturated fats.
The group eating the Mediterranean diet had a striking 70% reduction in all causes of death, including cancer, compared to the group eating the “heart healthy diet”.
If you interviewed, Michel de Lorgeril, the lead investigator of that famous study, he would likely disagree with AHA’s advisory. Why?
Because his study was specifically designed to be low in omega-6 fat, to mirror the indigenous mediterranean diet of Crete Islanders, who have a low rate of heart disease.
These are just a few examples of the problems with AHA’s advisory–there is alot more to this story.
Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD
http://www.Omega-6-News.org
Sources:
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Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD
Thanks for your interesting and thought provoking comment – I do agree with some of the above information and think more research is needed in this area.
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