Understanding Omegas 3 and 6

By Georgie Wingfield-Hayes Most people know that the essential fatty acids (EFAs) omegas 3 and 6 are important in the diet and that generally we are all deficient in omega 3. However a definitive answer about what to eat to get enough omega 3 and what the ideal balance is between 3 and 6, is not so easy to find. The experts dont appear to quite agree. So Im going to boil down what Ive discovered and hopefully help you understand why a better omega 3:6 balance is important so you can make informed choices to ensure you get the balance right for you and your family, whatever your diet. What are Omegas 3 and 6 Omega 3 and 6 are essential fatty acids (EFAs), because we cant make them from other fats in the diet, so we must ingest them. Fatty acid is the scientific term for these types of fats. Omegas 3 and 6 are unsaturated fatty acids, simply meaning that the carbon chain (the backbone of the molecule) contains double bonds - unlike saturated fatty acids where every carbon in the chain is saturated with hydrogen atoms. In unsaturated fats the carbon atoms in the double bond are holding on to each other with two bonds instead of one. This unsaturated nature means the molecules dont pack together nice and neatly because where there are double bonds, they bend. This in turn means they are liquid oils rather than solid fats at room temperature. The double bonds also hold an electrical charge making these fats very biologically active substances, one of the reasons they are so important in the function of the human body. Omega 3 and 6 derivatives in particular, make things happen, and fast! Omega 3 and omega 6 are two distinct families of EFA. Omega 3 simply means a fatty acid whose first double bond is between carbons 3 and 4. Omega 6s first double bond is from carbon 6 to 7. So there are more than one omega 3 and 6. Which Omega 3 and Omega 6 are essential? Strictly speaking there is only one truly essential omega 3 and one omega 6. These are what can be termed parent omegas. Parent omega 6 is linoleic acid (LA) found in most vegetable, seed and nut oils. Parent omega 3 is alpha linolenic acid (LNA) found most abundantly in flax, chia and hemp oils. These parent molecules, through the action of enzymes, can then be converted into all other omega 3s and 6s. However this conversion processes depends on the body having these active enzymes and their co-factors in sufficient quantities to do the conversion. This is where opinions start to differ as to which is the best source of these oils because not everyone converts the oils efficiently. Below is a flow chart of the omega 3 and 6 families. Parent omega 6 - LA is top left and parent omega 3 - LNA is top right. As you can see the two families share the enzyme pathway for conversion to their important derivatives. This means there may also be competition for enzymes.

The richest dietary sources of omega 3 and 6 fats Omega 6 parent linoleic acid (LA) = Safflower, sunflower, corn, peanut and soy oils. Omega 3 parent alpha linolenic acid (LNA) = Flax, hemp and chia seed oils. Omega 6 alpha linolenic acid (GLA) = Borage and evening primrose oils. Omega 3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) = wild cold water fish, especially salmon, mackerel, and herring. What makes EFAs so important? Every membrane around every cell of our body and all the membranes within those cells are made a mixture of fats. Saturated fats like cholesterol help keep the membrane ridge and unsaturated fats like omegas 3 and 6 keep it fluid. This balance is crucial for membrane integrity and to allow things to pass in and out of cells correctly plus preventing toxins like heavy metals getting into the cell - especially important in the brain! DHA plays a particularly important role in the make up of the brain. Therefore it is essential that babies and children get sufficient DHA in their diets.

The double bonds of EFAs attract oxygen, so their presence in the cell membrane is essential for getting oxygen where it is needed - from the lungs to the inside of every cell. EFAs also absorb light energy, which increases their chemical reactivity and ability to attract oxygen a 1000 fold! Eicosanoids The blue and red color coded fats on the flow chart DGLA, arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA are key fats, because from these, highly reactive compounds called eicosanoids are derived. Eicosanoids are like hormones and very fast acting in the immediate area of tissue where activated. Very generally speaking the blue fats derive anti-inflammatory eicosanoids and the red, pro-inflammatory ones. But eicosanoids are also responsible for regulating blood pressure and circulation, blood platelet stickiness and fluid retention, to name a few. So both EFA families are important to keep things in balance. The crux about getting the ratio right between omegas 3 and 6 is that if you have too much omega 6, arachidonic acid is potentially going to run away with its pro-inflammatory pathway causing all sorts of damage. Arachidonic acid is not a bad fat, it serves a very important role, but excess of it, coupled with a deficiency of omega 3 and our modern sedentary lifestyle is what causes the problem. Why is our modern diet so out of balance? Firstly we use way too much omega 6 rich vegetable and seed oils. These oils have only been around for about 100 years - since mechanization made extraction possible. It is in this time that heart disease has gone from being unheard of to one of the top killers. Wild and green foods contain omega 3s. Humans however cant really eat sufficient green food to gain enough omega 3, but the meat of grass fed animals will be richer in omega 3 than those fed on grains (high in omega 6). We eat less fish than we used to and farmed fish is more common. Wild salmon for example is significantly richer in omega 3 than farmed salmon. Vegetarians and vegans are particularly at risk from omega 3 deficiencies because they tend to eat diets rich in nuts, seeds and grains, which generally speaking are much higher in omega 6, than 3. How out of balance are we? Experts disagree on what the ideal omega 3:6 ratio is, with recommendations ranging from 1:3 to 3:2. Or to put in percentage terms from 33% to 70% omega 3. What everyone agrees on however is that the current dietary ratio in the western diet, which range between 1:10 and 1:20, is a disaster for peoples health. This imbalance is thought to be a major culprit in heart disease, immune inflammatory disorders, psychiatric disorders, asthma, bone loss, cancer, depression, suicide and disruptive behaviors to name a few.

How to get the balance right The first step towards getting your omega 3:6 ratio right is to reduce your omega 6 rich foods and increase your omega 3 rich intake. This table will help you get started. Food rich in Omega 3 and low in Omega 6 Flax seed, marine phytoplankton, wild cold water oily fish especially: salmon, mackerel, herring, sword fish, blue and white fin tuna, sturgeon roe, other fish roe and krill oil. Foods rich in Omega 6 and low in Omega 3 Oils and foods of: corn, cocoa butter, cottonseed, olive, palm, peanut, poppyseed, safflower, sesame, soybean, sunflower, avocado, almond, grape-seed, hazelnut, rice bran,

Hemp and Chia are left off this list because although they have a good level of omega 3 LNA, it is still less than that of omega 6 LA. These oils/foods are therefore good to have in the diet but not for correcting an omega 3 deficiency. Flax or fish? Going to back to Eicosanoids and the flow chart for a moment, we want to prevent arachidonic acid from leaving the cell membrane and becoming a run away inflammatory train. All of the derivatives of the blue fats will help prevent this happening. However EPA itself is the chief arachidonic acid guard. If there is plenty of EPA around, then arachidonic acid will stay in the cell membrane and inflammation will be kept well in check. For longterm health and longevity EPA is key, and oily fish is the only food rich in EPA. Unfortunately, marine phytoplankton, although rich in DHA, is poor in EPA. DHA, as I mentioned earlier, is however, very important for the brain especially the developing brains of babies and children. So the argument ensues. How well do we convert LNA (parent omega 3) to EPA? The most recent research shows that we actually do much better than previously thought. Basically, it depends on the individual. A healthy person will probably convert it well, as long as they have the co-factors necessary for the enzymes to function. These co-factors are magnesium, zinc, vitamins B3, B6 and C. If someone already has an inflammatory condition like fibromyalgia for example, then conversion of LNA maybe impaired and high potency fish oil may well be the best option to get omega 3 levels optimized. How much is the right amount? Going back to the experts recommendations, depending on who you read, the ideal omega 3:6 ratio is anywhere between 1:3 and 3:2. Those who argue for the higher levels of omega 3 base their research on population studies where heart disease is very low and consumption of omega 3, in particular oily fish, is very high like the Inuit and Japanese. Udo Erasmus however, prefers a balance in favor of omega 6, claiming to have

experienced a thinning of the skin when he tried an omega 3 dominant diet. Other experts like Professor Bill Lands who is still very active working in this field of research at the age of 80, is a living example of what a high omega 3 diet can do for health, longevity, and the brain. Herb Joiner-Bey in his book The Healing Power of Flax recommends a tablespoon of flax oil per 100lbs of body weight per day with 2 heaped tablespoons of fresh ground flax seed (the fibre of which is rich in lignans), he also recommends some fish in the diet and Evening Primrose oil for women. Basically, a definitive answer is hard to find.

Conclusion I recommend getting tested. Be pro-active in decreasing your omega 6 foods and increasing omega 3 rich foods and supplements. Be your own scientist. Try taking your omega 3 up to the higher recommended levels, get re-tested to see where you are at and compare it to how you feel. Do you get tired less quickly when you travel for example? Do you experience less pain? Does your skin feel good? Maybe the balance required is not the same for everyone. A look at traditional diets reveals that omega 3 is more predominant in local foods the further you go away from the equator. For example the omega 3 content of flax increases the further away from the equator it is grown. Could the fact that omega 3 has 3 double bonds and omega 6 only 2, be significant? This makes omega 3s light absorbency 50% greater than that of omega 6. Does this make omega 3s more important in darker climates, so that our bodies can hold more light? References The Healing Power of Flax by Herb Joiner-Bey ND Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill by Udo Erasmus Know Your Fats by Mary Enig Flax Oil As a True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer and Other Diseases by Johanna Budwig Prostaglandins and Other Lipid Mediators by Prof. Bill Lands Dr. Woynarowski Dr. Tom Gilhooly http://www.budwigcenter.com/ http://lipidlibrary.aocs.org/lipids/eicresol/index.htm http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18437155 http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/v16/n5/full/nm.2123.html http://jem.rupress.org/content/196/8/1025.full http://www.raysahelian.com/resolvins.html http://www.cell.com/trends/immunology/abstract/S1471-4906(07)00049-X