Obesity: Omega 6 vs Omega 3

A lot of what I intend to focus on in my career is obesity especially when it comes to the preventable and complex disorders that arise from obesity. We have heard time and time again about the great benefits of omega 3 supplementation but many people have probably never heard of omega 6.  According to Artemis P. Simopoulos the ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 has grown exponentially in the last few decades from 1:1 to 20:1 today. The only places where a smaller ratio can be found is amongst Alaskan Natives and those with diets that rely on wild caught fish. According to the article (link below) this increased ratio is due to how we have changed from family to industrial farming and the western diet. Due to industrial feeding practices we have decreased the natural amount of omega 3 fatty acids found in products such as meat, eggs, and fish. The western diet has also increased the amount of processed grains we take in which are heavily packed with omega 6 fatty acids. This is important because omega 6 fatty acids are known to increase arachidonic acid (AA) synthesis which leads to prostaglandins. As we have learned in physiology, these prostaglandins are proinflammatory which does not align well with obesity and cardiovascular issues that are strongly associated with inflammation. These prostaglandins form omega 6 have been found to decrease the browning of fat due to their proinflammatory characteristics that lead to fat being much harder to burn. According to the article (link below) our diets are far too low in omega 3 fatty acids compared to our ancestors. Omega 3 fatty acids are great at browning fat and hence the argument for supplementation.

With all this stated how do we go about fixing this inflated ratio and reducing obesity? Unfortunately, it is not as easy as supplementing your diet with omega 3 fatty acids. Although this will help we have to decrease the omega 6 intake in order for us to even have a chance at balancing out this ratio. This is only one aspect of the obesity epidemic and there are many others but, we can all take the first step in reducing obesity by getting active and reducing processed food intake.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4808858/