mikah said:
If I was consuming mostly omega 6's what would the outcome be? {If my total fat count was good just ratios off balanced}
Would my body "hold" onto fat or would I just be looking at the risk of deficiency?
I am asking because I dont think Ive been getting enough omega 3.s...
Oh, and are ground flaxeeds a good source of 3's?
thanks in advance
Omega-3 fatty acids do a lot more than help with fat loss.
The two really important things they do are - they alter cell membrane structure and they are essential in producing the 'good' prostaglandins (series 3 prostaglandins in particular).
By altering cell membranes (they increase the poly-unsaturated nature of cell walls) they alter cell metabolism, which is one of the reasons why they make it easier to utilise fats as fuel, but they also increase the efficiency of cell signalling (important in nerve function and hormone actions).
The series 3 prostaglandins are essential in decreasing inflammation in the body. They are essential in maintaining good joint lubrication, maintaining the lining of your stomach, maintaining your kidney health and doing a multitude of other things. Omega-3 fatty acids are also helpful in maintaining your vision (they are linked to macula health), maintaining your mood/emotional health, maintaining nerve/brain function (this is especially so for one of the omega-3 FA - DHA - which is essential for brain health and development),
maintaining cardiovascular health (decrease platelet 'stickyness', decrease blood pressure and decrease triglyceride levels etc), maintaining good hormone production, maintaining skin/hair/nail and bone health. Basically, they are needed for everything...
When you eat too many omega-6 fatty acids you interfere with the conversion of ALA (the true 'essential omega-3) into the series 3 prostaglandins, EPA and DHA and you get in increase in the formation of the 'bad' prostoglandins (series 2 in particular).
This then results in failure of all the benifits of the omega-3 FA/series 3 prostaglandins as well as an increase in the negative effects of the series 2 prostaglandins, which can result in things such as inflammation (esp of joints), decreased cardiovascular health (it increases things such as platelet stickiness and can cause hypertension)
Don't get me wrong - you DO need omega-6 FA. Series 2 prostaglandins are ESSENTIAL in your bodies immune response to disease and Omega-6 FA are also converted into the series 1 prostaglandins, which are also essential for your overall health.... But you just do not want too many in comparison to omega-3 FAs!!
Although flax does have some omega-3 in it, it does not have EPA and DHA, which fish oils DO have - and these are really important because, although the body can create these if you are getting enough omega-3, the conversion rate is very low. Flax also has omega-6 in it, so if you are already getting lots of these in your diet then you will only be increasing the imbalance.
