Are You Having High Omega-6 Fatty Acids In Your Blood? Here's The Solution

If you have high omega-6 fatty acids in your blood, there are several ways to reduce the amount.

Omega-6 and omega-3 are two types of essential fatty acids that our body needs for optimal health.

Omega-6 is found in cooking oils, processed foods, and meats, and is important for regulating blood pressure, promoting growth and development, and supporting brain function.

Having too much omega-6 in our diet can cause health problems like inflammation, weight gain, and heart disease.

Therefore, its important to keep a balance of omega-6 and omega-3 in our diet to promote good health.

In this article, we will talk about the causes and symptoms of high omega-6 fatty acids in the blood and provide solutions on how to reduce them.

What happens if you have high omega-6 fatty acids in your blood?

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When there’s high omega-6 in the blood, it causes inflammation in the body. This can harm your tissues and organs if it continues for a long time.

Too much omega-6 in your blood increases the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

In addition, there’s an imbalance in the body’s inflammatory response, which makes it more difficult for the body to convert omega-3 into it’s active form.

What are the causes of high omega-6 in the blood?

There are several factors that can contribute to high omega-6 levels in the blood, including:

High consumption of omega-6-rich foods
Low consumption of omega-3-rich foods
Chronic inflammation
Stress
Lack of exercise
Poor sleep

All of the things mentioned earlier contributes to an imbalance of omega-6 and omega-3 levels in the body.

Signs and symptoms of high omega-6 consumption:

Inflammation
Weight gain
Skin rashes
Acne
Eczema
Psoriasis
Cardiovascular disease
Joint pain

Measuring omega-6 levels can be done through a simple blood test, called serum omega-6 test.

The test results are compared to the normal range to determine if any changes needs to be made to one’s diet and lifestyle.

How much omega-6 do you need?

A healthy omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is between 1:1 and 4:1.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that adults should aim to consume between 2.5% and 9% of their daily calorie intake from omega-6 fatty acids.

For example, a person consuming 2,000 calories per day would aim for 5 g to 18 g of omega-6 per day, based on a 1:1 to 4:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.

So for a daily recommended intake, here is a guideline based on age and gender:

Adult men 19-50 years: 17 g/day
Adult women 19-50 years: 12 g/day
Boys 9-13 years: 8 g/day
Girls 9-13 years: 8 g/day
Boys 14-18 years: 12 g/day
Girls 14-18 years: 10 g/day

For infants and young children between the ages of 1 to 3 years, the adequate intake for omega-6 is 4% to 7% of total energy intake, which corresponds to about 4-5 g/day for infants and 7-8 g/day for young children.

How to Reduce Omega-6 in Your Blood

Reducing omega-6 fatty acids in the blood can be achieved by:

Switching to healthier cooking oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
Avoiding processed foods that are high in omega-6.
Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Consuming foods that are high in omega-3, such as salmon, sardines, tuna, flaxseeds, and walnuts.
Taking forever arctic sea and algae-based supplements.

Forever arctic sea provides a concentrated source of omega-3, especially for those who have difficulty getting enough omega-3 through their diet.