Wildly Unbalanced Consumption Of Omega-6 Vs Omega-3 Fatty Acids Contributing To Growing Rates Of Obesity, T2D, Researchers Contend.

Advances in modern agriculture are one reason why consumption of omega-6 versus omega-3, commonly found in vegetable, corn and seed oils, has pushed omega-3 to the side, the authors suggested. For example, grain-fed animal byproducts are higher in omega-6, whereas grass-fed animal products, such as milk, are richer in omega-3. The authors suggest the rising rates of obesity and chronic diseases due to inflammation are a result of this increased consumption. "The evidence suggests that when you consume omega-3 fats they provide fat burning signals in the body, whereas omega-6, particularly from vegetable oils, provides fat storing signals," DiNicolantonio said in an interview. "And now that our balance of omega-6:3 is in favor of the omega-6 we are constantly sending our body signals to store more fat but worse than that, the omega-6 also creates inflammatory fat especially when the dietary intake of omega-3 is low." Omega-6 and omega-3 have a wide range of opposing effects, specifically impacting obesity and type 2 diabetes. Some of these inverse relationships include omega-6 increasing leptin and insulin resistance, waist circumference, oxidation, triglycerides, inflammation, adipose cells, and white adipose tissue. Similarly, a recent NIH Women's Health Initiative study reported that high concentrations of omega-6 in blood was positively assocatied with increased weight gain in young women. Simopoulos explained in an interview how "the low omega-3 intake and high fructose intake of Western diets lead to an increase in appetite, lipogenesis and obesity." So increasing the intake of nuts, seeds, and oceanic seafood to increase the intake of both ALA and EPA/DHA. This may not only decrease the risk of numerous chronic diseases but may also help our waistline." http://www.medpagetoday.com/Endocrinology/Obesity/61007