Omega 3/ Omega 6 ratios and obesity
Sabine_Stroehm
Posts: 19,263 Member
Replies
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Not in science brain mode today, so reading that was a no-go, but i just read something about how we should stop eating as many eggs, or at least yolks, because they have TONS more Omega 6's than 3's... I was confused...like, what about all the OTHER NUTRIENTS?1
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »Not in science brain mode today, so reading that was a no-go, but i just read something about how we should stop eating as many eggs, or at least yolks, because they have TONS more Omega 6's than 3's... I was confused...like, what about all the OTHER NUTRIENTS?
I would imagine if you eat a grain heavy diet (with even more omega 6s) that would be more prudent advice?0 -
Yeah, but frankly, I eat so much omega 3 stuff, I figure - unless you're pre-disposed to high cholesterol and it's a medical issue,
- frankly, sod it. Jeesh, our health is so improved on LCHF/P, and our fitness levels higher, I really can't think it's an issue for those who are already health & fitness conscious!2 -
Chickens who are fed grain heavy diets (the usual 'mega-farm chicken feed') do have higher levels of Omega-6. Chickens outside ('pastured') who also get bugs, plants, and veggie scraps etc have a better ratio, especially if they are fed extra fish oil or flaxseed.A study compared the fatty acid composition of 3 types of eggs: conventional, organic and omega-3 enriched (1).
Omega-3 eggs had 39% less Arachidonic Acid, an inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acid that most people eat too much of.
Omega-3 eggs had 5 times as much Omega-3 as the conventional eggs.
There was very little difference between organic and conventional eggs.
It is clear that hens fed an omega-3 enriched diets lay eggs that are much higher in Omega-3 than conventional eggs.
This is important because most people eat too little Omega-3.
https://healthline.com/nutrition/pastured-vs-omega-3-vs-conventional-eggs#section1
Here's the study referenced in the quote: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814609003513
Quick takeaway:At the end of the day, pastured eggs are your best bet. They are more nutritious and the hens were allowed free access to the outside and ate a more natural diet.
If you can't get pastured eggs then Omega-3 enriched eggs will be your second best choice. If you can't get either pastured or Omega-3 eggs, then try to find eggs that are either free-range, cage-free or organic.
But even if that's not an option, then conventional eggs are still among the healthiest and most nutritious foods you can eat.
To sum up: Pastured > Omega-3 > Organic > Free Range/Cage Free > Conventional This just goes to show that what we eat isn't all that matters... it also matters what our foods eat.
More charts and studies were referenced in the short article if you want to take a closer look. It's a fairly quick read.4 -
Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
I think the 'less meat, more fish' part would likely be influenced by the diet of the meat animals or fish... If they are fed grain based meal their flesh would be skewed toward Omega 6's same as the eggs in the other article.
Annnnd, here we are back to the grass fed/wild caught vs. factory farmed dilemma. Obviously better for us biologically, but not always available or affordable for many people.
Great article, btw. thanks for posting it!
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I'd agree about what our food eats. Definitely.canadjineh wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
I think the 'less meat, more fish' part would likely be influenced by the diet of the meat animals or fish... If they are fed grain based meal their flesh would be skewed toward Omega 6's same as the eggs in the other article.
Annnnd, here we are back to the grass fed/wild caught vs. factory farmed dilemma. Obviously better for us biologically, but not always available or affordable for many people.
Great article, btw. thanks for posting it!
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I can't find the article just now but I read that the omega 3/6 ratio in salmon is controlled by what algae their prey ate. The chain starts somewhere.1
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canadjineh wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
I think the 'less meat, more fish' part would likely be influenced by the diet of the meat animals or fish... If they are fed grain based meal their flesh would be skewed toward Omega 6's same as the eggs in the other article.
Annnnd, here we are back to the grass fed/wild caught vs. factory farmed dilemma. Obviously better for us biologically, but not always available or affordable for many people.
Great article, btw. thanks for posting it!
I think @canadjineh hit the big stuff as far as what to eat (food that eats natural vs grain fed). As for the overall O-3/O-6 ratio, that shows the same info as I have found in my research to date. The heart health of the ratio as well as the healing effects shown in nerve damage have also prompted me to work on improving my ratio. It is difficult to do. From November 2016 to May 2017, I got it down from 13.99 to 10.54. According to Boston Health, who did the labs, getting it down to 9.0 would put me in the 10th percentile. Hopefully, when I get back for blood work next month, I will be below that since I have focused more on that this last 6 months.2
