The Paradox of Excess: Omega-6 Fat Syndrome

The impact of the fat imbalance gets clearer when you explore different regions of the world. We’ll take a brief look at what happened when Okinawans, Israelis, and urban Indians shifted their diets to high levels of omega-6 fats. Their experiences shed light on the ways that too much omega-6 fat affects your health. The “omega-6 syndrome” documented in Okinawa is particularly telling.

Omega-6 Syndrome and the Okinawa Paradox

The residents of the Japanese island of Okinawa held the bragging rights for the longest life expectancy in the world—until their diet dramatically changed after World War II. Following the war, they ate less fish at meals and ate meat instead. This occurred in part because of exposure to Westernized eating, as Okinawa was under U.S. jurisdiction until 1972. A well-publicized problem of mercury contamination also spurred eating less fish. Consequently, consumption of omega-3 fat dropped. During U.S. rule, there was also a rapid shift to cooking with vegetable oils  instead of animal fats because they were considered superior for health. Consequently, Okinawans more than tripled their omega-6 fat content by 1990.

These changes were followed by a dramatic rise in Okinawans’ health problems, including Western-type cancers, allergic reactions, and heart and blood circulation diseases. Notably, the abrupt rise in health problems paralleled the Okinawans’ increased use of omega-6 fats. When Okinawa lost its longevity status, a scientific investigation began.

Researchers attributed the cause of Okinawans’ health problems to their Westernized diet, which was too low in omega-3 fats and too high in omega-6 fats. Their shift to a diet high in omega-6 fats with the concomitant rise in chronic diseases was strikingly similar to what occurred in the Westernized world.

To solve the panoply of health problems, researchers recommended eating less omega-6 fats and more omega-3 fats, with a balanced ratio of 2 to 1. That ratio means that a person who ate two grams of omega-3 fats should limit intake of omega-6 fats to just four grams for the day—the amount of omega-6 fat found in one granola bar or one tablespoon of mayonnaise. Notably, the scientists emphasized that eating less omega-6 fat without eating enough omega-3 fat is ineffective at lowering the health-damaging compounds made from omega-6 fats.

Keep in mind that the typical American eats an average of 13 grams of omega-6 fats per day. That’s more than four times the quantity of omega-6 fats consumed by a typical Okinawan.

India and Israel: Diets High in Omega-6 Fats and More Chronic Diseases

Israel also made the switch to the so-called healthier oils, resulting in one of the greatest omega-6 fat intakes in the world. Israelis’ average dietary omega-6 fats outnumber omega-3 fats by 22 to 1.

In spite of Israel’s exemplary heart-healthy eating (a diet low in artery-clogging saturated fat, high in polyunsaturated fats, and low in total calories), Israelis have a high prevalence of heart disease, not to mention high blood pressure and diabetes. Now they have a higher cancer rate than in Western countries. Researchers say this is
a consequence of eating too many omega-6 fats.

The prevalence of heart disease is also high in the residents of urban areas in India, despite their low-fat diet in which 15 to 27 percent of calories come from fat. Researchers attribute the higher rate of heart disease to eating too many omega-6 fats. Interestingly, the rural dwellers have a much lower incidence of heart disease, not to mention lower rates of other related chronic illnesses. Why? They dine on “poor man’s food” consisting of mustard oil and grains. Consequently, the rural residents have a diet much lower in omega-6 fat than their urban counterparts.

Omega-6 Fats Increase Risk for Specific Diseases

High levels of dietary omega-6 fat increase the risk for many different diseases and conditions. Here’s a quick look at some of the problems, which will be discussed in more depth throughout this website:

• Increased risk for cancer. A study of 854 veterans showed over the
  course of eight years that those following the corn oil diet (which
  substituted corn oil for the saturated fats in their diet) had twice
  the fatal cancer rate of those eating a standard diet.

• Greater fat storage. Studies indicate that omega-6 fats have a
  remarkable ability to trigger fat storage in the body. Several studies
  show that when animals are fed diets high in omega-6 fats,
  they become fatter than animals fed diets with identical calories.
  While more research is clearly needed in this area, it adds one
  more compelling reason to balance the fats.

• Clogged arteries in susceptible people. High levels of omega-6 fats
  increased damage to the arteries when given to people who have
  high fat levels (triglycerides) in their blood or who make too much
  of a compound called LOX, which promotes infl ammation.

• Poorer recoveries by sick patients. When standard soybean oil
  was fed to patients intravenously, they had more complications
  and more detrimental inflammation compounds in their blood
  than those infused with less omega-6 fat. Notably, the higher the
  omega-6 fat from the intravenous feeding, the longer the patients
  remained in the hospital.

• Worsened brain function and mood. The rise in diagnosed psychiatric
  disorders parallels the rise in omega-6 fat consumption.
  Some experts believe that the skewed high ratio of omega-6 to
  omega-3 fat accounts for the decade-by-decade rise in depressive
  disorders.

• Increased vision problems associated with age. A high intake
  of linoleic acid (the parent omega-6 fat) increases the risk for
  age-related macular degeneration, a serious problem that causes
  decreased vision. Conversely, a diet rich in omega-3 fats and fish
  appears to decrease the risk, if the diet is low in omega-6 fat.

The Most Powerful (and Damaging) Omega-6 Fat: Arachidonic Acid

Arachidonic acid (AA) is the epicenter of all that is problematic with excess omega-6 fat in our diets and ultimately with our health. AA is the fatty acid that creates the compounds that cause inflammation and blood clotting, among many other problems. In fact, many medications (including aspirin, Motrin, naproxen, Depakote, and Singulair) work by blocking the effects of AA. Researchers have just started to scratch the surface of AA’s impact, but here are some striking findings:

• Turned-on cancer genes. Scientists from San Francisco discovered
  that AA turns on a dozen genes involved in cancer. When they
  added AA to human prostate tumor cells, the cells grew twice as
  fast. Notably, over the past 60 years, the rate of prostate cancer
  in the United States has increased steadily along with the dietary
  intake of omega-6 fats.

• More heart attacks. In separate studies from different regions of
  the world, researchers found that people with more AA in their
  body had a higher risk of getting a heart attack.

• Mood disorders. Researchers recently figured out why many
  mood-stabilizing medications are effective for treating mood disorders.
  They work by lowering the level of arachidonic acid in the
  brain.

Balanced Omega-6 Fat Matters for Health and Disease Prevention

From petridishes to human studies, vast and diverse research overwhelmingly demonstrates the need to balance the fat families. A high proportion of omega-6 to omega-3 fat paves the way for many health problems, including mental illness, cancer, cognitive impairment, inflammation, arthritis, asthma, allergies, immunity disorders, heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and vision and bone health problems, to name just a few examples.

The more omega-6 fat you eat, the higher your risk for disease. Research highlights are summarized in Table 3.6. When the term ratio is used in this table, it refers to the proportion of omega-6 to omega-3 fats.

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