Lipids : Edible Oils and Essential Fatty Acids (EFA's)

There are two families of EFA's, i.e. Fatty acids that have to be consumed,
as they cannot be made by the human body.

The are 'Omega 6' and 'Omega 3' fatty acids.


Before the advent of agriculture the proportion of these has been estimated as 3 to 2[1,2], whereas in today's diet the proportion is more akin to 10:1 and is associated with "increased cancer, heart disease, allergies, diabetes and other afflictions"[1]

According to [www.mens-total-fitness.com/eicosanoids.html] the problem is excess Omega 6 whereas Omega 3 counters the consequences of too much Omega 6. However the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) as presented in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_Reference_Intake] is 17g and 1.6g for a male i.e. 10:1 These figures support my notion that RDA's are calculated on what the average consumption is, ans o would have been different centuries ago.

Q1 How is the level of Omega 6 is assessed as being too high?
Q2 Is it logical to estimate the amount of Omega 6 and then to assume that appox half that amount of omega 3 should be consumed.?
Q3 Is either of the lipids stored?

An increase in the diet of Omega 3 oils seems the obvious change to make, with a possible decrease inOmega 6 where its consumption seems so high that consuming an appropriate amout on Omega 3 would be unpracticle.  The daily recommended consumptions of O6 and O3 are 3-4 and 2-2 grammes per day

  1. A change to hemp oil would bring the ratio to about 5:2
  2. A use of perrila oil, or linseed oil adee to olive oil could be preferable. with ratios is 1:4. So a mix of Olive Oil and Perrlia Oil or Linseed oil in the ratio of 4:1 would provide a Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio of nearly 3:2
    The lack of availability currently of Perrila oil means that Linseed oil is more likely to be used. An alternative would be to grow the Perrila plant for food. (Details to follow)



OilSourceCost/LtSaturatesMonounsaturatesPolyunsaturates




16.0
Palmitic
18.0
Stearic

Ω 9 : 18.1
(Oleic)

Ω 6 : 18.2
(Linoleic) 
Ω 6 : 18.3
(G-Linolenic
Ω 3 : 18.3
(A-Linolenic)
perrila1

6%2%
17%
15%
61%
linseed1

3%7%
21%
16%
53%
Hemp, OGood Oil£8 Mar0813.9%

18.9%18.9%67.2% 48.0%
19.1%
Hemp, LGood Oil£8 Mar089.2%9%

12.8%12.3%78% 56.6%
18.7%
Hemp3

6-9
2-3
10-16
50-70
15-25
soya1

11%4%
23%
51%
7%
OliveClearspring£8  Jan0713.0%

72.8%71.7%
8.0%
00.7%
Olive1

14%3%
71%
10%
0%
SunflowerClearspring
11%


26%
63%
0.1%
sunflower1

6%4%
24%
65%
0%
sunfl1

6%4%
24%
65%
0%
eve.primrose1

6%1%
11%
72%10%1%
safflower1

7%3%
15%
75%
0%
walnut1

7%2%
15%
60%
0%
borrage1

11%4%
16%
39%24%0%
peanut2
18%10%3%48%47%34%33%

sesame2

9%5%
41%
43%

grapeseed










coconut2
87%

6%
2%


cocao

63%

34.4%


2.9%
0.1%
spirulina










blackcurrant










rape seed 


4%1.5%
58%
20%
9%


Notes :

Data Source
  1. http://www.benbest.com/health/essfat.html
  2. http://www.foodcomp.dk/fcdb_default.asp
  3. http://mojo.calyx.net/~olsen/HEMP/IHA/iha03101.html

Links and Extracts

Seeds and nut sources of Omega-3Walnuts, butternuts, canola oil, and especially flaxseeds and flaxseed oil, which contain a lot of Omega-3 in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), which our body converts to EPA and DHA. Purslane, a low-growing plant, has been found to have the highest level of Omega-3, Vitamins C and E among green leafy vegetables. Fish and shellfish contain only small amount of LNA but a large amount of Omega-3s in the form of EPA and DHA, as in seaweeds. Flaxseed is richest in non-fish LNA. Other sources include macademia nuts, olives, soy protein (tofu), oat and wheat germ, bean sprouts, hickory nuts, spirulina, and lamb."

Beans an Peas and Omega-3The high protein content of legume seeds, such as in beans, peas and lentils, make them a potential source of high quality nourishment, enhanced by impressive stores of minerals, including magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, iron and molybdenum, as well as B vitamins such as folate and thiamine. All legumes contain both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, with kidney and pinto beans particularly high in omega-3.

Flax Oil Most commonly in the modern America diet, healthy omega-3 fatty acids found in seafood and flax oil are displaced by a far greater intake of omega-6 fatty acids prevalent in corn, safflower, cottonseed and sunflower oils and saturated fat in beef, dairy and fried foods. . . .

saturated fat induce far greater weight gain than diets that emphasize omega-3 fatty acids. Indeed, in this study, all groups consumed equivalent calories and grams of fat, but the difference between a soybean-oil diet and one rich in omega-3 fatty acids was the difference in weight between a 225 and a 150 pound man

Reducing Omega 6 Omega-6 fatty acids in the diet were inversely related to lower plasma levels of omega-3 fatty acids. A one gram increase in the dietary intake of omega-6 fatty acids was associated with a 0.16% decrease in plasma n–3 PUFA levels at 18 months and a 0.05% decrease in plasma omega-3 fatty acids at three years.

Dietary intake of omega-6 fatty acids was positively associated with plasma omega-6 fatty acids levels in both groups. These findings also supports earlier work showing that omega-6 fatty acids biochemically compete with omega-3 fatty acids.

Study Quote:..."the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty polyunsaturated acid supplementation in increasing plasma omega-3 fatty polyunsaturated acid levels is enhanced by restricting background dietary intake of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids."

See also: omega-3 omega-6 aggression.html omega-lipids