Understanding omega 3s and 6es

This is a confusing topic for me. Every so often I have to go search what is the healthy ratio of 6 to 3, and on which one I need to keep my intake low?

Can you help me, clarify, add resources and experiences, contribute knowledge of physiological processes to flesh out the whole question of why it’s worth the effort to understand and maintain a healthy omega 6 to omega 3 ratio?

General confusion is not helped by institutions publishing articles that say “don’t worry about limiting your omega sixes, they are healthy for you. Just increase your omega-3‘s.”

The way I understand it, the challenge for people in industrialized nations is that it is hard to get omega-3‘s and near impossible to limit omega sixes.

The list of benefits to a healthy ratio is long, and it includes prevention of major causes of mortality.  Cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome are among them.

Cell membranes are primarily comprised of phospholipids. These phospholipids moderate what gets in and out of a cell. Phospholipids are  proteins and fatty acids.  The locations of the double bonds in a fatty acid determine the physical shape of the structure, which is integral to how well a cell membrane can moderate what enters and exits the cell.  The locations of double bonds is what is designated by the omega 3 and 6 names.

Another place where fatty acids are crucial is the nervous system. The brain is largely fats. Nerve cells have a fatty sheath. The results of the body utilizing the “wrong“ fatty acids in building tissues are numerous and far reaching.

While we do need some omega six fatty acids, overall they tend to be pro inflammatory, where the omega-3‘s are anti inflammatory. And in at least one metabolic pathway, if not many, omega threes and omega sixes are in competition for the same particular sites. I think that is why the ratio is crucial…. with too many sixes, the threes can’t get in to do their part.

There are various estimates of what is a healthy ratio. Some sources say 1 to 1 or as high as 4 to 1 is preferable, that ratio is in terms of omega six to omega three. However there are sources that report a ratio as high as 17 to 1 as “healthy”.

The issue is confused by the fact that the big food companies create, promote and utilize oils high in omega sixes.  The omega sixes are ubiquitous in fast foods, snack foods, and ready-to-eat foods.

There is a thread on permies

https://permies.com/t/6358/kitchen/Permaculture-sources-omega-fatty-acids

where people are discussing permaculture sources of omega threes.  It seems like a thread for people with clear understanding of why they would want the omega 3s.  

I want this thread to be a resource for people to reach that understanding, or at least be able to make an informed choice.  

I like to add a caution, where discussions on dietary oils are taking place, but rather than taking other threads off topic, I want to add a link to this thread.

And it will be a place I can review it all when ever I need a refresher 😊

Forgot to say thank you 😊

I am not sure how trustworthy Dr Berg is, but he has very enthusiastic followers and his explanations sound convincing.
He has several videos on Omega 3 and 6, like this one
Whenever I remember I take a Omega 3 pill made from algae (when you research a bit about fishing practices you don't want to support that system, google the documentary Seaspiracy, apart from the health aspect due to mercury etc.).

He advocates a ratio of 1 to 1, like in fish and leafy greens, nuts, no processed seed oils but olive oil and some other.

I recall Dr. John Bergman covering it in one of his videos well. I think he said health suffers at 1:8 and the average western diet is around 1:16. I think he said 1:3 is good. An interesting factoid I remember him saying is that the meat from a cow raised on corn was high, maybe 1:12 or so, and the meat from a free-roaming grass fed cow is about 1:3. That stuck with me.