Oh-Mega Bust or an Oh-Mega Hack?
You’re standing in the supplement aisle of the health food store, staring at a sea of labels. Your doctor mentioned keeping an eye on your cholesterol. Your friend just told you he’s been taking omegas and swears by them. So here you are, hoping to make the “healthy” choice. One bottle catches your eye: Omega 3–6–9. Sounds promising, right? More omegas must mean more benefits. Not so fast.
Yes, omega fatty acids are important. They’re called “essential” for a reason. Omega-6s in particular play a key role in energy production. They help regulate gene activity, support our immune system, and are necessary for healthy blood clotting. Like omega-3s, they’re also crucial for brain development and proper growth. There’s even some evidence omega-6s can support skin and hair health, bone strength, metabolism, and reproductive function. Early research suggests they may help ease symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. So, omega-6s sound like a win, right?
Here’s the thing. Omega-6s are indeed a healthful fat. They’re part of the unsaturated fat family, which means they stay liquid at room temperature. Like omega-3s, our bodies cannot produce omega-6s on their own, so we have to get them through food or supplements. There are four main types: linoleic acid (LA), arachidonic acid (ARA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). If you’ve read my take on butter, CLA might sound familiar.
Now for the kicker. We get more than enough omega-6 fatty acids through our everyday eating. You’ll find omega-6s in sunflower seeds, safflower oil, soybean oil, corn oil, sesame seeds, mayonnaise, nuts, meat, poultry, fish, and eggs. The recommended daily intake is about 17 grams for men and 12 grams for women. But to give you some perspective, 100 grams of walnuts has 37 grams of omega-6. Corn oil? Around 49 grams. Soybean oil? 50 grams. Even your sandwich with mayo and some trail mix is giving you a ton of omega-6s without even trying.
Here’s where things get a little complicated. For optimal heart health and overall wellness, what really matters is the ratio between omega-6s and omega-3s in the body. Ideally, we want this to be somewhere between 2 to 1 and 4 to 1. That means for every 2 to 4 parts omega-6, you want 1 part omega-3. Some experts even argue that a 1 to 1 ratio is better, based on how our early ancestors ate. But if you’re eating a standard American diet, your ratio could look more like 15 or 17 to 1. I’ve even seen sources suggesting it could climb as high as 40 to 1. That’s a big problem.
Some types of omega-6s are converted into compounds that promote inflammation in the body. And while inflammation is part of the body’s natural defense system, chronic inflammation is something else entirely. It’s the root of nearly every major illness: cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, macular degeneration, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, cancer, mental health conditions, autoimmune disorders. The list goes on. When we consistently take in more omega-6s than omega-3s, we’re essentially tipping the scale in favor of inflammation and everything that comes with it.
So here’s the takeaway. You’re likely getting more than enough omega-6s through your regular meals. If you eat nuts, seeds, eggs, animal protein, or processed foods, you’re covered. There’s no need to go out of your way to supplement with more omega-6s. In fact, doing so can make it harder to keep inflammation in check and reach your health goals. Instead, focus on improving your ratio by increasing omega-3s. That means choosing foods like wild-caught salmon, sardines, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. Or consider an omega-3 supplement, especially if you’re not getting enough through food. But if your supplement includes 3–6–9, you’re not changing your ratio, you’re just adding more of everything, and in this case more is not more.
Let’s be smart about this. Let’s be shifters. Shift the balance, support your heart and brain, and feel confident next time you’re scanning that wall of supplements.