Keeping the Balance: The Role of Omega 6 in your Omega 3 Intake
Omega 6s are another fatty acid related to omega 3s. The body also needs omega 6 to function, and it is believed that omega 6s are necessary for stimulating skin and hair growth, regulating metabolism, maintaining reproductive capability and keeping your bones resilient and healthy. Clearly, omega 6 is an essential nutrient just like its “cousin,” omega 3.
However, omega 6s also play an interesting role when it comes to your heart, memory and immune health – all areas largely controlled by your omega 3 intake. Ideally, you will take in as much or more omega 3 fatty acid as you do omega 6. If you do not, the omega 6 actually renders the omega 3 less effective. Sounds like a simple enough problem to solve, right? Just make sure to eat lots of omega 3 foods as well as getting your omega 6. Wrong.
Research indicates that nearly 20 percent of the average American’s daily calories come from omega 6, which is very common in most conventional foods and diets. Since omega 6 is nearly impossible to avoid and omega 3 is pretty difficult to consume via diet in large quantities (you would need to eat nearly 2 pounds of fish a day, according to one estimate, to get adequate amounts of the fatty acid!), your omega 6 intake is probably negating or at least handicapping your omega 3 intake.
The best way to resolve this is to take a daily omega 3 supplement. This can help balance out your diet and help insure that you are getting enough omega 3 to be effective even if you have a high omega 6 intake. It is also far better than trying to cram multiple tons of fish into your monthly food intake or attempting to get rid of large portions of your omega 6 consumption (which can totally alter your diet permanently).
To learn more about omega 3 fish oil supplements that are designed specifically to be effective in high omega 6 diets, as well as omega 3 benefits access www.omega-3.us.
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