Educate Your Health

Healthy Eating Principles from Certified Nutritionist

Why is it so important to balance Omega-3 and Omega-6 in our diet?

Every time we eat a meal that is high in fat, we induce a chemical reaction in our body which produces free radicals. We may not even notice it. This is called inflammation.

But are all fats bad and should they be avoided totally? No, dietary fats are vital and essential to our body functions. Diseases associated with fats like obesity and heart diseases come about not as a result of fats in general but as a result of inappropriate proportions of different types of dietary fats in our diet. Example: the inappropriate balance between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids comes primarily from fish and plant sources (although it has to be converted). It has beneficiary properties used by our body to make EPA and DHA, vital for brain development and cellular communication. Omega-6 fatty acids comes from vegetables and meats and has shown to lower blood cholesterol and reduces the risk of developing heart diseases. Both are equally important and should be provided in our diets.

The problem arises is when the consumption balance between these two is disrupted. The ideal ratio of consuming Omega-3 and Omega-6 should be 1: 1. When Omega-6 is significantly more, it contributes to inflammatory response in the body. When inflammatory response is chronic, it induces unnecessary health conditions that will accelerate chronic diseases. Unfortunatly in today’s context, a significantly higher level of saturated fats and vegetable oils for deep fried foods are continually consumed and inflammation remains a big silent killer.

In the March 2004 issue of Time Magazine, scientific research spoke about this silent killer and showed that chronic inflammation is associated with a number of chronic diseases, such as heart diseases, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease and even cancer. The American Journal Clinical Nutrition [2004 Apr:79(4):682-90] has also expressed that if we consume meals high in fats and low in fruits and vegetables, our body will experience a surge in inflammation and produce free radicals.

The American Heart Association recommended that if we wish to avoid health problems associated with too much Omega-6 fatty acids, we have to reduce the use of Omega-6 dominant vegetable oils and in place, increase Omega-3 fatty acids intake to avoid chronic diseases associated with inflammation problems.

We must increase our Omega-3 diet by taking adequate fish intake, at least 2-3 times a week or take good quality Omega-3 supplements and take plenty of fruits and vegetables, to combat any undesirable or unwarranted inflammatory attacks in the body.

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