Omega-3 fatty acid: Encyclopedia II - Omega-3 fatty acid - Consumption

Omega-3 fatty acid - Consumption

Some studies have shown that while both omega-3 and omega-6 should be consumed in satisfactory quantities, it is also important that they be consumed in the correct proportions — the ideal ratio has been suggested to be less than 4 or 5:1 omega-6 to omega-3.^[4]

Many sources of omega-3 also contain omega-6. "Typical" American diets have been found to have ratios between 10:1 and 30:1 in favour of omega-6 — that is, dramatically skewed toward omega-6.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health recommends 650 mg of EPA and DHA, 2.22 g/day of α-linolenic acid, all of which are omega-3 fatty acids, and 4.44 g/day of linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid.[1]

It has been conjectured that the diet in the human environment of evolutionary adaptedness may have been rich in seafood, nuts and other sources of vegetable omega-3. This may have provided a ratio close to 1:1. An optimal ratio for cardiovascular health is thought to be 4:1 or less. The introduction of processed foods with very high ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 in the last fifty years of the 20th century has been proposed as a possible cause for heart disease being the number one cause of death in the United States at the present time and in the recent past.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Consumption", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki