Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Omega-6 Fatty Acids Can Be Good for You

All that discussion about the omega-6 fatty acids found in vegetable oils, nuts and seeds possibly being bad for your heart is unfounded, a new science advisory from the American Heart Association claims.

"There has been a lot of talk in the nutrition world that omega-6 fatty acids might be bad," said William S. Harris, the nutritionist heading the committee that issued the report in the Jan. 26 online issue of Circulation. "We wanted to evaluate it, and if it is not true, we wanted to make sure the American public eats enough of them."

The debate arose because arachidonic acid, a component of omega-6 fatty acids, is a building block for some inflammation-related molecules, and there have been fears that it might increase the risk of heart disease.

Bonnie - the issue is not that omega-6's are bad when eaten in moderation. The issue is that the ratio of omega-6 consumed in the U.S. compared to omega-3 is completely out-of-whack (20:1). This disparity is a main reason why so many Americans are inflamed.

I never said to avoid omega-6 foods. You need to curtail consumption and increase omega-3 consumption to optimize your ratio (3:1).

No comments: