Western diets have become increasingly heavy in omega-6 fatty acids. This is due to a three-fold change in how we eat:

1. Industrialized food production is reliant on vegetable oils heavy in omega-6s
2. Beef, pork, and poultry are mostly fed grain-based diets
3. Consumption of fatty fish, nuts, eggs, and oily seeds has dropped

Over the last century, these three trends have shifted the typical omega-6 to omega-3 ratio from roughly 1 ½:1 to 20:1. This poses a serious health concern. While omega-6s are known to support health, omega-3s are also an indispensable part of the human diet.

A study published last year in Epidemiology and Global Health underscores the health consequences of this increase in the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.

The study, “Higher ratio of plasma omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids is associated with greater risk of all-cause, cancer, and cardiovascular mortality: A population-based cohort study in UK Biobank,” examined data from 85,000 participants in the UK Biobank project.

The researchers were interested in identifying how individuals’ omega-6 to omega-3 ratios correlated to their risk of death from three causes: cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality (death from any cause).

When comparing the 20% of study participants with the highest omega-6 to omega-3 ratios to the 20% with the lowest such ratios, they found that those with high omega-6 to omega-3 ratios had a:

• 26% higher risk of all-cause mortality
• 14% higher risk of death from cancer
• 31% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease

Somewhat surprisingly, the study’s authors found that higher levels of omega-6s and omega-3s were both associated with lower overall risk of death. Their rationale for this seeming contradiction in their findings was that omega-3s appeared to have stronger protective effects than omega-6s, so people with higher omega-6 to omega-3 ratios were displacing more effective omega-3s with less effective omega-6s, and so were less protected from fatal health complications.

The study indicates that people should maintain “a high circulating level of omega-3 fatty acids and a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio to prevent premature death.” This study is only one of countless many providing evidence as to the heart and whole-body health benefits of a diet rich in DHA, EPA, and other omega-3 fatty acids.

‍