You may be well aware of the health benefits of what are known as Omega 3 essential fatty acids. It’s been in the news lately and more and more people are understanding the importance of maintaining an adequate intake of the important essential fatty acids known as Omega 3, and most of us are deficient in these. But you may not have heard of Omega 6 fats and may not be aware of the importance of these to your health, and you may not have heard of the Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio.

We all need good fats known as essential fatty acids for good health. Our body cannot manufacture these itself and so relies on getting them through our diet every day. Omega 3 fats are found in fish, and the vast majority of us are deficient in Omega 3 intake.

Omega 6 fatty acids, on the other hand, are found in only plant based sources. They are found in vegetable oils like peanut oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil and corn oil are high in Omega 6 and soy oil is almost totally comprised of Omega 6 fat.

Most of these vegetable oils are cheap and for this reason they are used extensively in a wide range of processed foods, including margarine, and as many of us eat plenty of processed foods, as well as vegetable oils, we generally consume too much Omega 6.

In the past, according to research, we ate roughly as much Omega 3 as Omega 6 fats. This produced an Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio around 1 to 1. But because of our dietary reliance on food sources such as vegetable oils and processed foods there are estimates suggesting that our Omega 6 Omega 3 ratio has changed to around 10 to 1, and some estimates are that it is now as high as 30 to 1. Most of us are eating way too much Omega 6 fatty acids.

Omega 6 essential fatty acids are equally important to our health however just as important is the Omega3 Omega 6 ratio, and over the past hundred years or so this is changed dramatically. By eating too much Omega 6 and too little Omega 3 we are all exposing ourselves to a wide range of health implications including the possibility of various cancers, coronary artery disease and a range of other inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

And there is also an issue with our meat. Traditionally our farm animals have been raised on grass and this produces meat higher in Omega3. However farming practices have changed over the last hundred years and most of our meat now comes from grain fed animals which produces meat lower in Omega 3 and higher in Omega 6.

Whilst it is extremely important to get an adequate intake of Omega 3 fatty acids in our diet, and most of us are deficient in these, it is equally important to ensure that we reduce our intake of Omega 6 fats to maintain a healthy Omega 3 Omega 6 ratio. We can do this by reducing the amount of processed foods and vegetable oils in our diet and changing to healthier oils for cooking such as olive oil. And equally important is to increase our intake of Omega3 fats by dietary supplementation with fish oil supplements.

Note that although fish oil supplements are extremely cost-effective not all are as good as others, you need to know how to compare the different fish oil supplements available to make an effective choice.

Visit my website to find out more about the Omega3 Omega 6 ratio and also about how to compare the different fish oil supplements available.

here is no question that people who eat more than eight ounces of fish per week live longer and healthier lives than those who don’t.  Study after study shows that fish eaters are more likely to avoid illnesses like heart disease, cancer, arthritis, diabetes, and psoriasis much more than people who only eat one serving of fish per week or less.  It has been noted that the Japanese, who hold the world’s record for longevity, eat three times more fish than people in many other countries.

So what about those of us who don’t get enough fish in our diets?  The prognosis isn’t great.  Non-fish eaters run a thirty percent higher risk of contracting serious illnesses like heart disease and cancer.    This is not good news for people who don’t like fish or want to eat it.  However, you don’t have to like to eat fish to enjoy its benefits.  As far as vitamins and supplements go, people who take regular doses of fish oil capsules get similar benefits to those people who eat fish 3 times a week.  

Most of the benefits derived from fish oil supplements are from their high content of omega 3 fatty acids.  Omega 3 fatty acids discourage the formation of hormone-like agents called prostaglandins.  Prostaglandins are the perpetrators that (read more…)