Ratio of fatty acids in different foods
There is some debate as to the optimal ratio of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids for human health. This means that knowing the ratio of these two classes of polyunsaturated fats can be a useful tool in maintaining a healthy diet.
Ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in the diets of hunter-gatherers
It has been claimed that among hunter-gatherer populations, omega-3 fats and omega-6 fats are typically consumed in roughly a 1:1 ratio.[1] At one extreme of the spectrum of hunter-gatherer diets, the Greenland Inuit, prior to the late Twentieth Century, consumed a diet in which omega-6s and omega-3s were consumed in a 1:2 ratio, thanks to a diet rich in cold-water fish (which are a rich source of omega-3s) and completely devoid of omega-6-rich seed oils.[2]
Optimal ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats
To date, "no one knows what the optimal ratio in the diet is for these two families of fats."[3] Susan Allport writes that the current ratio in Japan is associated with a very low incidence of heart and other diseases. A dietary ratio of 4:1 produces almost a 1:1 ratio of HUFAs in cell membranes."[3]
Andrew Stoll, who advocates the consumption of the two fats in a 1:1 ratio, states, "Once in the body, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids follow parallel pathways, continually competing with each other for chemical conversion to various structures and molecules inside and outside the cells. Given this mechanism, it makes sense that the two fats might be required in approximately equal amounts."[4]
Both Stoll and Allport assert that present-day diets in the developed world have departed dramatically from this ratio. It has been estimated that in developed countries, the ratio of Omega-6s to Omega-3s is closer to 15:1[5] Another estimate is that "[t]he diet consumed by the typical American tends to contain 14 - 25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3 fatty acids."[6]
Fish
| Food | Citation | Serving Size | Omega-6 fatty acids (g) | Omega-3 fatty acids (g) | Omega-6 : Omega-3 ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salmon, cold water, fresh and frozen, cooked | [7] | 4 oz (113g) | 0.03 | 1.7 | 0.0 : 1 |
| Sardines, canned in oil, drained | [7] | 4 oz | 4.0 | 1.8 | 2.2 : 1 |
| Tuna, canned in water, drained | [7] | 4 oz | Trace | 0.3 | 0.0 : 1 |
| Tuna, canned in oil, drained | [7] | 4 oz | 3.0 | 0.2 | 13.8 : 1 |
| Cod, fresh and frozen | [7] | 4 oz | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.1 : 1 |
| Mackerel, canned, drained | [7] | 4 oz | 0.2 | 2.2 | 0.1 : 1 |
| Swordfish, fresh and frozen, cooked | [7] | 4 oz | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0.2 : 1 |
| Crab, soft shell, cooked | [7] | 4 oz | 0.1 | 0.6 | 0.2 : 1 |
| Lobster, cooked | [7] | 4 oz | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 : 1 |
| Bluefish, fresh and frozen, cooked | [7] | 4 oz | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0.1 : 1 |
| Salmon, canned, drained | [7] | 4 oz | 0.2 | 2.2 | 0.1 : 1 |
| Smelt, rainbow | [7] | 4 oz | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.4 : 1 |
| Scallops, Maine, fresh and frozen, cooked | [7] | 4 oz | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 : 1 |
Nuts and Seeds
| Food | Citation | Serving Size | Omega-6 (g) | Omega-3 (g) | Omega-6 : Omega-3 ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almonds, dry roasted | [7] | 1 oz (28 g) | 3.5 | 0.0 | 3.5: 0 |
| Chia seeds | [7] | 1 oz (28 g) | ? | 4.9 | 3.5: 0 |
| Flax seeds | [7] | 1 oz | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0.2 : 1 |
| Pecans, dry roasted | [7] | 1 oz | 6.4 | 0.3 | 22 : 1 |
| Pistachios, roasted | [7] | 1 oz | 3.9 | 0.1 | 55.3 : 1 |
| Pumpkin seeds, shelled | [7] | 1 oz | 5.4 | 0.1 | 107.8 : 1 |
| Sesame seeds | [7] | 1 oz | 6.7 | 0.1 | 55.7 : 1 |
| Walnuts | [7] | 1 oz | 10.8 | 2.6 | 4.2 : 1 |
Oils
| Food | Citation | Serving Size | Omega-6 (g) | Omega-3 (g) | Omega-6 : Omega-3 ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butter | |||||
| Canola oil | [7] | 1 Tbsp | 2.8 | 1.3 | 2.2 : 1 |
| Coconut oil | |||||
| Cod liver oil | [7] | 1 Tbsp | 0.3 | 2.8 | 0.1 : 1 |
| Corn oil | 46 : 1[8] | ||||
| Cotton seed | |||||
| Flax seed oil | [7] | 1 Tbsp | 2.0 | 6.9 | 0.28: 1 |
| Ghee | |||||
| Grape seed | |||||
| Lard | |||||
| Olive oil | [7] | 1 Tbsp | 1.1 | 0.1 | 13.4 : 1 |
| Palm oil (Hydrogenated) | |||||
| Sardine oil | [7] | 1 Tbsp | 0.5 | 3.7 | 0.1 : 1 |
| Soybean oil (Hydrogenated) | |||||
| Soybean oil, (Unhydrogenated) | [7] | 1 Tbsp | 7.0 | 0.9 | 7.5 : 1 |
| Tallow (Grain Fed) | [9] | 3.35% | 0.2% | 16.75 : 1 | |
| Tallow (Grass Fed) | [9] | 1.2% | 0.8% | 1.5 : 1 | |
| Walnut oil | [7] | 1 Tbsp (15 g) | 7.2 | 1.4 | 5.1 : 1 |
| Hemp seed oil | [10] | N/A | N/A | N/A | 3 : 1 [note 1] |
Grains and Beans
| Food | Citation | Serving Size | Omega-6 (g) | Omega-3 (g) | Omega-6 : Omega-3 ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soybeans, dried, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | 3.8 | 0.5 | 7.4 : 1 |
| Tofu, regular | [7] | 4 oz | 2.1 | 0.3 | 7.5 : 1 |
| Nattō, regular | [11] | 1 cup | 9.6 | 1.3 | 7.4 : 1 |
Green, leafy vegetables
| Food | Citation | Serving Size | Omega-6 (g) | Omega-3 (g) | Omega-6 : Omega-3 ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spinach, fresh, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | Trace | 0.1 | 0.2 : 0 |
| Green leaf lettuce, fresh, raw | [7] | 1 cup | Trace | Trace | 0.5 : 1 |
| Red leaf lettuce, fresh, raw | [7] | 1 cup | Trace | Trace | 1.5 : 1 |
| Boston lettuce or Bibb lettuce, fresh, raw | [7] | 1 cup | Trace | Trace | 1.5 : 1 |
| Chard, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | Trace | 0.0 | N/A |
| Turnip greens, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | Trace | Trace | 0.5 : 1 |
| Dandelion greens, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | Trace | 0.1 | 0.8 : 1 |
| Kale, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.9 : 1 |
| Beet greens, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | Trace | Trace | 4.0 : 1 |
| Collard greens, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.8 : 1 |
| Mustard greens, cooked | [7] | 1/2 cup | Trace | Trace | 0.5 : 1 |
See also
- Monounsaturated fat
- For listings of particular classes of polyunsaturated fatty acids, see:
- Essential fatty acid – for biochemistry of most polyunsaturated fats
- Essential fatty acid interactions – for the interactions between ω-6 and ω-3 fatty acids
- Unsaturated fat
Notes
- ↑ The authors state the ratio as Omega-6:Omega-3 and that it lies "between 2:1 and 3:1".
References
- ↑ "Populations maintaining historic omega-6 to omega-3 ratios (approximately 1 to 1) are protected from many of the scourges of the modern age." Source: Andrew Stoll, The Omega-3 Connection. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001, p. 43.
- ↑ William Lands, Fish, Omega-3 and Human Health. Urbana, Illinois: APCS Press, 2005, p. 10.
- 1 2 Susan Allport, The Queen of Fats: Why Omega-3 Fats Were Removed From the Western Diet and What We Can Do to Replace Them. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007, p. 115.
- ↑ Andrew Stoll, The Omega-3 Connection. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2001, p. 40.
- ↑ Simopoulos, AP (2002). "The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids". Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie 56 (8): 365–79. doi:10.1016/S0753-3322(02)00253-6. PMID 12442909.
- ↑ http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/omega6-fatty-acids
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 "Tufts OpenCourseWare" (PDF). Archived from the original (pdf) on 22 September 2010.
- ↑ http://omega6.wellwise.org/omega-6-omega-3-ratio
- 1 2 "Fatty Acid Analysis of Grass-fed and Grain-fed Beef Tallow". Archived from the original on 10 March 2014.
- ↑ Martina Bavec; Franc Bavec (2006). Organic Production and Use of Alternative Crops. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd. p. 178. ISBN 1-4200-1742-X. Retrieved Feb 18, 2013.
- ↑ "Nutrition Data".