GFE Podcast #71: Difference Between Omega 3 and 6

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Do you know the difference between Omega 3 and 6 fats? Omega 6 fats are pro-inflammatory and omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory fats.

Yet they are both labeled polyunsaturated fats. So we dig into the difference and debunk both of them in this podcast.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

The difference between omega 6 and omega 3 fats
Food sources of omega 6 and 3
Why the ratio of omega 6 and 3 is important
How these fatty acids affect our health
10 steps to balance our intake of omega 3 and 6

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TRANSCRIPT

In today’s podcast we are going to chat about omega 3 and Omega 6 Fatty Acids. You may or may not have heard of these before, so if you have you might pick up on something new. And if you haven’t you will get to know them better, the difference between the two and why it’s important to know.

I’d just like to say thanks for taking the time to listen to this podcast. The reviews and emails I get from you are what keep me motivated to keep sharing information. Well I also happen to love talking, researching, writing and sharing all things nutrition but it’s great to hear that you get practical value from the tips and info we share here. If you haven’t left a review in itunes I’d really appreciate if you take a few minutes to do that next time your loading the GFE podcast onto your ipod. It helps the GFE podcast keep ranking well in itunes so new listeners can find us and that’s very important to me as spreading the message of health to as many people as possible is one of my primary goals.

Sometimes all we need is just a few simple tips or a little bit of motivation and our whole life can change. I find that truly inspiring because it’s so powerful.

I’ve been busy working on my new Anti-Inflammatory Start Up Program, which is due to kick off on 19th January. So if you’re looking to reduce inflammation, lose weight, and improve your health condition no matter what that may be then I’d suggest you go and subscribe to the GFE newsletter because we’ll be sending out more info about the program in the next few days.

We’ve also got a special offshoot of the program for fibromyalgia and type 2 diabetes and we are working to add offshoots for other specific conditions as well. As it is, the program is suited to anyone and all conditions but it’s also good to have those extra tweaks that can have some added benefit. I’ve brought a new person onto the GFE team, her name is Beth Michaels, she is a dietitian and diabetes educator with similar philosophies to GFE and she is going to be helping with our type 2 diabetes program and she’ll also be involved with other components of our online programs as well. And my wonderful assistant Mandy Brown has been helping me put it all together, because as you can imagine it’s a big job. But I’m really excited by all the research I’ve been doing and hope to see you inside the Anti-Inflammatory Start Up program.

Although our programs are delivered online, they are all very interactive and provide lots of personal help because we have our private community forum and we also have live Q&A calls. This makes them unique because they provide you with expert help from nutritionists and dietitians for a fraction of the price it might cost you to consult with a nutritionist or dietitian in person. And it enables you to get that little bit of extra personal help you might need.

Being able to deliver the programs online is just so convenient for all of us and I just love the interactive component as well because I thoroughly enjoy chatting to all the members we have and getting to know people and see the changes they all make.

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Well that’s enough of this weeks updates, let’s start digging into the topic of today’s podcast, omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids.

Polyunsaturated fats, we’ve all heard of that right?

But both omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids come under the umbrella of polyunsaturated fats, and yet they are both very different.

I remember asking my university lecturer about the reason why polyunsaturated fats have been promoted so heavily as “healthy” fats when omega 6 fats are know to be not so healthy. She said it was likely due to the evidence around the benefits of omega 3s for health.

Sure, I can accept that.

However, it is usually not things like fish or sardines that are promoted as a healthy polyunsaturated fat. It’s things like unsaturated vegetable oils and margarines that are full of omega 6 fatty acids and there is PLENTY of research to show that these are pro-inflammatory and bad for our health.

Polyunsaturated fats include both omega 6 and omega 3.

Examples of omega 6 fatty acids are vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, grains and conventional meats.

Examples of omega 3 fatty acids include salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel, flaxseed and chia.

So here we are faced with yet another one of ‘those’ health claims that isn’t exactly right because both of these fatty acids produce very different outcomes in the body. But before we dig into that, let’s look at the major omega 6 sources a little more closely.

Major Omega 6 Sources

Vegetable oils – such as corn, safflower, soybean, grapeseed, peanut oil, sunflower oil, and so forth. These are the biggest contributors. Think about all the processed food products that contain these oils…all of them. Check out the labels when you go shopping. It’s rare to find olive oil in something, which is a pity because olive oil is a very healthy anti-inflammatory oil. You’ll also find canola oil is used a lot. Canola is a monounsaturated fat but is highly processed and we covered that back in episode 34 of the GFE podcast, so head back there to find out more about canola.

The second item with omega 6 is Grains – you might have heard that grains are high in omega 6 and while it’s true, the omega 6 content is rather low compared to oils and fats. For example: there is only 1 g of omega 6 and lower per 100 g compared to safflower oil with 74 g per 100 g of omega 6. The main issue with grains is that they do get consumed in large quantities, so in that sense they can add to your omega 6 overload.

Conventional meats – because most farmed animals today are fed grains, conventional meats also contain omega 6. Again, it’s not at super high levels like the oils but it’s a food source to be aware of. Grass fed meat contains less omega 6 and higher omega 3s, having a better ratio of the two, and we’ll soon find out why all this is important.
Nuts & Seeds – do contain omega 6, but the benefit of nuts and seeds is they also contain loads of other vitamins, minerals and healthy fats. Nuts are really only meant to be eaten in small portions so as long as you keep it that way you’re fine.

The nuts/seeds highest in omega 6 include sunflower seeds, butternuts, and pine nuts. Do I still eat these? Yes I do but not all the time.

Next let’s look at major Omega 3 Sources

These include:

Tuna
Trout
Salmon
Sardines
Mackarel
Flaxseed
Chia seeds
Free range eggs are higher in omega 3
Wild salmon is better than farmed
Grass fed beef is better than conventional
Wild animals are better than farmed animals
Milk and cheese from grass fed animals contain omega 3, others don’t

This is not an extensive list of all omega 6 and omega 3 sources but it gives you an idea of where each of these comes from.

So what’s the big deal about omega 6 and omega 3 anyway?

The basics of it are this:

Omega 6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory
Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory

Both are ‘essential’ fatty acids because the body can’t produce them internally but unfortunately in our modern diet most of us eat too many omega 6 foods and not enough omega 3. And, just about all foods in the modern diet have reduced omega 3 fat content.

The ratio of omega 6/3 in the body is very important to ward off health conditions.

Studies show that Western diets range anywhere from 15:1 to 20:1 omega 6 to 3 ratio.

Ideally the ratio should be around 2:1 or a maximum of 4:1.

And this major difference between what the ratio should be and what it is for most of us, may be a key contributor to ill health because an Imbalance in Omega 6 / Omega 3 Can Have Health Implications

There is evidence that changes in fatty acid composition in the body:

Effect the brain and lead to depression
Influence serotonin levels
Increase autoimmune disease risk
Increase risk of chronic conditions

Many chronic health conditions can be triggered by increased inflammation, as many of you know we’ve covered this a lot on this podcast. Studies have shown that inflammation is associated with conditions such as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, cancer, obesity, autoimmune conditions, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, depression, and various other things.

These conditions are all associated with increased production of inflammatory cytokines and chemokine’s, which increase with omega 6 and decrease with omega 3.

If you can imagine that huge imbalance between these fats in the body you can start to comprehend how it could be a problem, particularly in increasing inflammation.

So why does this happen?

It All Has To Do With Metabolism of Omega 6 and Omega 3

Both omega 3 and omega 6 have to go through an elongation and desaturation process to make them useful for the body. The main issue is they both use the same enzymes to get broken down in the body, and out of that metabolic process they produce what’s called eicosanoids.

The eicosanoids from omega 6 are pro-inflammatory
The ones from omega 3 anti-inflammatory

Because the two fatty acids have to compete for the same enzyme, when there is too much omega 6 it significantly decreases the conversion of omega 3.

Taken from the scientific literature here are some of the physiological effects of these eicosanoids on the body.

Omega 6 Aracadonic acid eicosanoids

Pro-arrhythmic – affects heart rhythm
Vasoconstrictor – tightens arteries
Increased vascular permeability – allows molecules to permeate the artery wall
Accelerates reactive oxygen species – more free radicals
Increase production of inflammatory cytokines – changes to the immune system
Abnormal cell proliferation – changes to cells

Omega 3 EPA & DHA eicosanoids

Anti-arrhythmic – promotes healthy heart rhythm
Inhibit TXB2 mediated platelet aggregation – prevents blood from clotting
Promote vasodilation – relaxes arteries and improves blood flow
Suppresses activation of NFkB blocking the synthesis of inflammatory cytokines – slows down and stops inflammation

Fats Are Critical To ALL Our Cells

All the cells in our body have a lipid bilayer. ALL cells, like our immune cells, the cells in our brain, the cells in our organs and so forth.

The types of fats we eat in our diet affect this bilayer.

When we have more omega 3 it can suppress inflammatory molecules, prevent molecules from adhering to places they are not meant to, and stop conditions from arising or getting worse.

So what can we do about it?

10 Practical Steps To Balance Omega 6/3 Ratio

Reduce or eliminate processed foods as these often contain refined grains and are high in low quality omega 6 vegetable oils
Avoid vegetable oils and choose olive oil, macadamia nut oil, or coconut oil instead
Limit grains to a maximum of 1 cup a day
Eat grass fed beef, which you can now get at most supermarket chains
Eat free-range eggs
Eat nuts and seeds in small quantities
Increase consumption of omega 3 foods
Consume olive oil with omega 3s to increase the incorporation of omega 3s into cells
Eat more veggies
Take an omega 3 supplement