Re: omega-6:omega-3 ratios

November 22, 2006

Hi Tony,

It is more complex than just the bulk Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio. It is the

cell membrane wall population ratio of very specific types of long chain

Omegas:

1) Omega 3 EPA

2) Omega 3 DHA

3) Omega 6 DGLA

4) Omega 6 AA

The relationship and the conversion process is complex and that is why the

US National Institutes of Health developed the free KIM software. If is a

full blown package complete with audio visual tutorials which teach why the

balancing is required and how food the food choices you make control the

cell membrane ratios for these 4 key long chain fatty acids and the short

range eicosanoid signalling hormones which are formed from the fatty acids

stored in the cell membrane walls directly controlling how your several

trillion cells respond to stress every millisecond of your life.

Download the free KIM software from here:

http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/kim.html

Greg

[ ] omega-6:omega-3 ratios

> Rodney,

>

> The ratio of omega-6:omega-3 is discussed in the following references.

> Simopoulos [2] says " In the secondary prevention of cardiovascular

> disease, a ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total

> mortality. A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell proliferation in

> patients with colorectal cancer " .

>

> Reference [1] says that the AI (adequate intake) of omega-6 is 17 g/d

> for young men and 12 g/d for young women, and the AI for omega-3 is

> 1.6 and 1.1 g/d for men and women, respectively. This is

> approximately a 10:1 ratio.

>

> I had been consuming a tablespoon of flax seeds per day, but I have

> switched to 1 tablespoon of flax seed oil per day. Flax seed oil has

> about 53% omega-3 (ALA).

>

> Tony

>

> [1] Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy,

> Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol,

> Protein, and Amino Acids (Macronutrients) (2005)

> Dietary Fats: Total Fat and Fatty Acids

> http://newton.nap.edu/books/0309085373/html/423.html

>

> [2] A.P. Simopoulos, The importance of the ratio of

> omega-6/omega-3 essential fatty acids. Biomed

> Pharmacother., 2002 Oct; 56(8):365-79. PMID: 12442909

>

>> >

>> > Hi Rodney,

>> >

>> > I'm not an expert on eicosanoid signalling and how it is effected

>> by the

>> > balance in Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids in the cell membrane but those

>> in the

>> > NIH who created the web site are. I also suggest posting isolated

>> papers can

>> > be found to support almost any point of view and posting such

>> papers do

>> > little to support anything more than a personal point of view as,

>> with

>> > respect, we are not experts in the field.

>> >

>> > However the creators of the site are eicosanoid signalling experts,

>> > have looked at all the papers, have created some of the papers

>> themselves

>> > and have attempted to put it all together in a such a way that

>> intelligent

>> > lay folks can understand what balancing eicosanoid production is

>> all about

>> > I suggest these to review:

>> >

>> > http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/annotated2.html

>> > http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/relatedw.html

>> > http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/video.html

>> > http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/overview1.html

>> > http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/workshop1.html

>> >

>> > Greg

>>

>

November 22, 2006

BTW, the analysis of the diet we use in our studies

has a ratio of around 2:1.

Jeff

I think this is his latest on the topic...

Biomed Pharmacother. 2006 Nov;60(9):502-507. Epub 2006

Aug 28.

Evolutionary aspects of diet, the omega-6/omega-3

ratio and genetic variation: nutritional implications

for chronic diseases.Simopoulos AP.

The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, 2001 S

Street, NW, Suite 530, 20009 Washington, DC, USA.

Anthropological and epidemiological studies and

studies at the molecular level indicate that human

beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to

omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of ~1 whereas in

Western diets the ratio is 15/1 to 16.7/1. A high

omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today's Western

diets, promotes the pathogenesis of many diseases,

including cardiovascular disease, cancer,

osteoporosis, and inflammatory and autoimmune

diseases, whereas increased levels of omega-3

polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) (a lower

omega-6/omega-3 ratio), exert suppressive effects.

Increased dietary intake of linoleic acid (LA) leads

to oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL),

platelet aggregation, and interferes with the

incorporation of EFA in cell membrane phospholipids.

Both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids influence gene

expression. Omega-3 fatty acids have anti-inflammatory

effects, suppress interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta), tumor

necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha) and interleukin-6

(IL-6), whereas omega-6 fatty acids do not. Because

inflammation is at the base of many chronic diseases,

dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids plays an

important role in the manifestation of disease,

particularly in persons with genetic variation, as for

example in individuals with genetic variants at the

5-lipoxygenase (5-LO). Carotid intima media thickness

(IMT) taken as a marker of the atherosclerotic burden

is significantly increased, by 80%, in the variant

group compared to carriers with the common allele,

suggesting increased 5-LO promoter activity associated

with the (variant) allele. Dietary arachidonic acid

(AA) and LA increase the risk for cardiovascular

disease in those with the variants, whereas dietary

intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and

docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) decrease the risk. A lower

ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids is needed for the

prevention and management of chronic diseases. Because

of genetic variation, the optimal omega-6/omega-3

fatty acid ratio would vary with the disease under

consideration.

PMID: 17045449

And a previous

Biomed Pharmacother. 2002 Oct;56(8):365-79. Links

The importance of the ratio of omega-6/omega-3

essential fatty acids.Simopoulos AP.

The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health,

Washington, DC 20009, USA. cgnh@...

Several sources of information suggest that human

beings evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega-6 to

omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFA) of approximately 1

whereas in Western diets the ratio is 15/1-16.7/1.

Western diets are deficient in omega-3 fatty acids,

and have excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids

compared with the diet on which human beings evolved

and their genetic patterns were established. Excessive

amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)

and a very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in

today's Western diets, promote the pathogenesis of

many diseases, including cardiovascular disease,

cancer, and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases,

whereas increased levels of omega-3 PUFA (a low

omega-6/omega-3 ratio) exert suppressive effects. In

the secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease, a

ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in

total mortality. A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell

proliferation in patients with colorectal cancer,

whereas a ratio of 4/1 with the same amount of omega-3

PUFA had no effect. The lower omega-6/omega-3 ratio in

women with breast cancer was associated with decreased

risk. A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in

patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5/1

had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma,

whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences.

These studies indicate that the optimal ratio may vary

with the disease under consideration. This is

consistent with the fact that chronic diseases are

multigenic and multifactorial. Therefore, it is quite

possible that the therapeutic dose of omega-3 fatty

acids will depend on the degree of severity of disease

resulting from the genetic predisposition. A lower

ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids is more desirable

in reducing the risk of many of the chronic diseases

of high prevalence in Western societies, as well as in

the developing countries, that are being exported to

the rest of the world.

PMID: 12442909

November 22, 2006

And, on the other side (so you have enough to read

this weekend Rodney).

" Accordingly, the n-6/n-3 FA ratio may be of value in

interpreting biomarker data and in making nutritional

recommendations. Although initially appealing, there

are few human experimental and clinical trial data to

support this view. "

Regards

Jeff

Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2006 Nov;8(6):453-9. Links

The omega-6/omega-3 ratio and cardiovascular disease

risk: uses and abuses. WS.

University of South Dakota, Nutrition and Metabolic

Diseases Research Institute, South Dakota Health

Research Foundation, 1400 West 22nd Street, Sioux

Falls, SD 57105, USA. Bill.@...

The cardioprotective effects of omega-3 fatty acids

(n-3 FAs) are well known, but the role that the n-6

FAs play in coronary heart disease is unclear. These

two classes of essential FAs compete for a number of

enzyme systems, and their metabolites can powerfully

influence (often in different directions) inflammatory

responses, vascular reactivity, and platelet

aggregation. This paper reviews a variety of studies

that, in the aggregate, suggest that the ratio is,

both on theoretical and evidential grounds, of little

value. Metrics that include the n-3 FAs alone,

especially eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids,

appear to hold the greatest promise.

PMID: 17045070

November 22, 2006

Am J Cardiol. 2006 Aug 21;98(4A):19i-26i. Epub 2006

May 30.

Tissue omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio and risk for

coronary artery disease. WS, Assaad B, Poston

WC.

Department of Medicine, Mid America Heart Institute of

Saint Luke's Health System, Kansas City, Missouri,

USA. bill.harris@...

A ratio that estimates tissue proportions of omega-6

fatty acids (linoleic acid and/or arachidonic acid

[AA]) and omega-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid

[EPA], docosahexaenoic acid [DHA], and/or

alpha-linolenic acid) has been proposed as a biomarker

of risk for coronary artery disease (CAD). Use of an

omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio instead of either

fatty acid class alone is based on theoretical reasons

and has not been validated. The relationship between

risk for CAD events and tissue omega-3 and omega-6

fatty acid composition was evaluated by pooling data

from case-control or prospective cohort studies that

examined the risk for CAD end points as a function of

tissue fatty acid composition. Thirteen studies were

included, 11 case-control and 2 prospective cohort

studies, and case-control differences in computed

averages of several fatty acids and fatty acid ratios

were compared. The largest and most consistent

difference was for the sum of EPA + DHA (-11% in

cases, p = 0.002). Proportions of EPA, DHA, and AA

were about 8% lower in cases, but none of these

differences was significant. Total omega-3 and omega-6

fatty acids were lower by 7% and 4%, respectively, in

cases versus controls, but only the total omega-3

fatty acid difference was significant. The AA/EPA

ratio was nonsignificantly lower by 10% in cases.

Fatty acid ratios generally failed to distinguish

cases from controls, and any discriminatory power they

had derived from the omega-3 fatty acid component.

Tissue EPA + DHA appears to be the best fatty acid

metric for evaluating for CAD risk.

PMID: 16919513

November 22, 2006

Hi Greg,

Can you tell me if the KIM has been updated with new info - looks like the refs are <2000.

Also when I looked at KIM1 it depended on SR xx which didn't have a breakdown of fatty acids in foods, just a few. I just looked at SR19 and I don't see a lot of improvements. Like soy oil is still undifferentiated.

Is there another database for KIM2?

Regards.

Re: [ ] omega-6:omega-3 ratios

Hi Tony,It is more complex than just the bulk Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio. It is the cell membrane wall population ratio of very specific types of long chain Omegas:1) Omega 3 EPA2) Omega 3 DHA3) Omega 6 DGLA4) Omega 6 AAThe relationship and the conversion process is complex and that is why the US National Institutes of Health developed the free KIM software. If is a full blown package complete with audio visual tutorials which teach why the balancing is required and how food the food choices you make control the cell membrane ratios for these 4 key long chain fatty acids and the short range eicosanoid signalling hormones which are formed from the fatty acids stored in the cell membrane walls directly controlling how your several trillion cells respond to stress every millisecond of your life.Download the free KIM software from here:http://efaeducation.nih.gov/sig/kim.htmlGreg

..

November 22, 2006

Hi Jim,

Looks like KIM-2 was created in 2004 while KIM was earlier at 2000. This is

taken directly from KIM-2

" WHAT IS KIM-2 ?

KIM-2 (Keep It Managed - version 2) is an innovative, interactive teaching

tool that combines complex biomedical information on essential fatty acids

and eicosanoids and relates it to a surrogate clinical outcome of how one's

body responds to food choices. KIM-2 was made in 2004 to replace the

four-year-old KIM with improved software and updated USDA nutrient

information. "

So it would seem it uses the USDA database from 2004. For Soybean oil it

shows amounts for both omega 3 and 6 short chain fatty acids but no longs.

This is what I would expect as only fish and animals have the ability, from

what I have read, to do the carbon atom elongation and double bond creation

(elimination of a hydrogen atom) needed to make the long chain forms.

I target the following:

Omega 6 LA < 6.7 g (this is the hard bit as Omega 6 LA is everywhere)

Omega 3 ALA ~ 2.2 g (1 tablespoon of ground organic flax)

Omega 3 EPA+DHA ~ 0.65 g (1 - 2 serves a week of salmon, tuna, mackerel,

herring, sardines or 2 fish oil capsules a day)

What KIM doesn't address is the peroxidation issue of long chain double bond

rich fatty acids. Basically as the number of double bonds in the fatty acid

increases so to does the benefit to the body and the ability of the fatty

acid to be damaged by free radical activity. Some time ago I created an

Excel spreadsheet which attempts to rate the overall peroxidation index of

the fatty acids in ones diet. The higher the index the more likely the fatty

acid will be damaged inside your body and the more fatty acid protective

anti-oxidants (Vit E, CoQ10, etc) you need to protect them from damage.

Anyway here is a page I created which lays in all out.

http://optimalhealth.cia.com.au/Peroxidatiion.htm