What’s the difference between them and omega-3s?
I’ve heard bad things about omega-6 fatty acids. What’s the difference between them and omega-3s?
answer:
Both omega-6s and omega-3s are essential fatty acids (EFAs), and although they’re critical to human health, the body can’t make them on its own. 0mega-3s get more press because of their specific physiological benefits, which include reducing the risk of heart disease and alleviating hypertension and depression. 0mega-6s, on the other hand, are important for joint and skin health. “The problem is that the typical American diet contains 11 to 30 times more omega-6s than omega-3s,” says Cynthia Sass, R.D., M.P.H., a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. Researchers believe this imbalance can lead to inflammation, which studies have linked to an increased risk of heart disease and cancer.
So what’s the right balance? “One to four times more omega-6s than omega-3s,” says Sass. Since few nutrition labels contain fatty-acid info, Sass recommends cutting back on known omega-6-heavy foods (meat, poultry, eggs, and corn and soybean oils) and bulking up on omega-3-rich foods (fish, walnuts, and olive oil). You might also want to take an omega-3 supplement, such as fish-oil capsules or a mixture of DHA and EPA (two common forms of omega-3). “Keep your daily dose to 1,000 milligrams,” says Sass.
Pingback from What’s the difference between them and omega-3s? — Omega-9
Time: August 8, 2008, 4:25 pm
[…] See more here […]