Why supplement with omega 6 FA's?

**gza** · 06-13-2004, 05:09 PM

OK, we all know that both omega 3's and omega 6's are essential for optimal health and body composition. From what I understand, though, most of the benefits of EFA's are dependent on the ratio between these two types of fats. Americans' consumption of omega 6's vastly exceeds their omega 3 intake, and this gross imbalance has been implicated in a whole host of public health problems. The question is, why do bodybuilders seek to actively supplement their diets with additional omega 6's? The added omega 6's only increases their need of omega 3's - it seems like one step forward and two back. What do you think?

**P-funk** · 06-13-2004, 05:36 PM

I have never heard of anyone supplementing with omega 6 exclusivly, aside form using something like thge UDO's perfect blend.

**gr81** · 06-13-2004, 08:43 PM

the reasoning would be b/c you want a balance in eth body, and if youa re high in one and not the other then you would want to strive for more of a balance. The thing about it is that the average person's diet, like you said, is usually higher in Omega 6, but theoretically if it wasn't then that would be the reason for the supplementation basically..

**Jodi** · 06-13-2004, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by P-funk

I have never heard of anyone supplementing with omega 6 exclusivly, aside form using something like thge UDO's perfect blend.

I agree. We tend to get enough omega 6. It's omega 3 that we want to make sure we get.

**Downtown Guy** · 06-15-2004, 12:04 PM

Good point, gza. Most people, including those of us who have a great nutrition plan, consume more omega-6 fatty acids than we need. That's why I never understood UDOs "perfect blend" or any supplement that includes both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. A "perfect blend" can only be perfect if that is all you consume.

I think we all need to create our own perfect blend with a combination of food and supplements. For me, that means supplementing with omega-3s only. I would never take a supplement that included any omega-6s whatsoever. As you suggested, gza, I would then have to take a whole lot more omega-3's to get the balance correct.

Maybe that's part of the problem. What is the definition of "balance" between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids? The general public consumes about 40 times as many omega-6s as omega-3s. That's terrible - ditch the steak, eat the salmon! A reasonable goal, I think, would be 2 omega-6s to 1 omega-3. What do you nutrition experts think?

**expression_** · 06-16-2004, 09:15 PM

What foods include omega-6? I take Nature Made Fish oil which includes Omega 6 on top of the Omega 3..I'm not aware of any other omega-6 intake..

**Jodi** · 06-16-2004, 09:46 PM

I don't know why you would want to increase omega 6. I think we get enough of it in the foods we eat. It's primarly found in animal products, safflower oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil soy.

**Downtown Guy** · 06-16-2004, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by Jodi

I don't know why you would want to increase omega 6. I think we get enough of it in the foods we eat. It's primarly found in animal products, safflower oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil soy.

Jodi, I think that is precisely the point being made by gza. Gza points out that most people get far too many omega-6 fatty acids in their diet and wonders why bodybuilders use omega-3 supplements that also include omega-6 fatty acids. Gza, did I read that correctly?

IMHO, he is spot on here. We should be reducing our intake of omega-6s, not increasing them.

As you stated Jodi, they are abundant in most meats, especially organ meats, plant seeds and vegetable oils. Another major source is egg yolks.

We should be supplementing with omega-3s that contain no omega-6s. So the question is, why do people take omega-3 supplements that include omega-6 fatty acids?

Is it simply because they trust UDOs or some other brand name that allegedly has put together the "perfect blend?"

**Jodi** · 06-16-2004, 11:09 PM

That's why its all about the fish oil

**expression_** · 06-18-2004, 10:40 AM

Well, that's exactly why I asked what foods contain Omega-6, and how much..

You don't know what I eat, so perhaps I'm not getting enough Omega-6.

Why do we want to reduce our Omega-6 intake? What are the benefits of Omega-6?

**Downtown Guy** · 06-19-2004, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by expression_

Well, that's exactly why I asked what foods contain Omega-6, and how much..

You don't know what I eat, so perhaps I'm not getting enough Omega-6.

Why do we want to reduce our Omega-6 intake? What are the benefits of Omega-6?

You're right, expression. I don't know what you eat. But if you eat any red meat or consume any foods that contain vegetable oils, then you probably get too many Omega-6 fatty acids already. Even if you work at it, it is nearly impossible to be deficient in Omega-6s. The key is the ratio between the two, the closer you can get to a 1 to 1 ratio, the better.

Recent research is showing that numerous degenerative diseases may be caused by an imbalance of Omega-6 and Omega-3 fatty acids, e.g. too many Omega-6s. Arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, and most cancers are amomg the many maladies caused by this imbalance. This is why we want to reduce our Omega-6 intake.

For more specific info, please do a web search. In the meantime, let's all supplement with fish oil to avoid going crazy and dieing a slow, agonizing death.

**gza** · 06-21-2004, 09:50 PM

Yeah, DG, Udo's was one product that was on my mind when I made the original post, but I also see where many people recommend things like safflower oil when discussing "good fats." If the ratio of the omegas in our body is really as important as it seems, we should be avoiding safflower oil or any other oil high in n-6's like poison. Another oft-hyped food that comes to mind is walnuts, which are touted as the "best nut" because of their omega 3 content, but their ratio is more than 5 to 1 in favor of omega 6's. Basically, I think that the focus of the bodybuilding world on essential fats has misled a lot of folks into thinking that essential=good. Even those who have an accurate understanding of the subject rarely tell the whole story; they're always telling us why we should add more omega 3's in our diet, but they tend to neglect the benefits of MINIMIZING omega 6's.

**expression_** · 06-23-2004, 01:30 PM

Ah, I wasn't aware of this balance and ratio

So I'm almost finished with my Nature Made Fish Oil bottle (contains 90mg omega-6 in 2 caps of fish oil), I'll opt to buy the Costco Fish Oil which contains only Omega-3. 300 caps for about $6-7, as opposed to the $12 or so I paid for 200 caps of the Nature Made Fish oil.

**rjr5353** · 06-29-2004, 01:07 AM

well this is certainly an intersting discussion....What i got from it....Only supplement with omega 3....Fish Oil caps right.....Im gonna go buy some capsules tomorrow......good discussion!

**dalila** · 06-29-2004, 02:25 AM

Dang, talk about timing.... I posted a question about which fish oil supplement to take, didn't hear from anyone, went out and got the one with 500mg of evening primrose oil ( mega 6) and 500mg of fish oil ( omega 3), coz the "helpful" lady pharmacist said primrose oil was good for my hormones ...

Well, please ignore my question about fishies then

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