I have a question regarding the omega 3 and omega 6 balance. We have been so bombarded with the information that we have way too much omega 6 in our bodies that I wonder if we may not become overbalanced the other way.
I was reading an article from Dr. Mercola�s web-site.
The article was long and much of it was over my head, but here are several excerpts from it:
�Although Arachidonic acid (AA) has been given a negative association, it is the most prominent essential fatty acid in the red cell and comprises 12% of the total brain and 15.5% of the body lipid content.
�If AA is depleted by overdosing with marine or flax oil establishing the balance of the EFAs is profoundly impaired. Often both prostaglandin one and two series relating to omega six metabolism are compromised when flax and marine oils are overdosed or lipid intake is insufficient. When AA, the lead eicosanoid of the body, is suppressed due to excess intake of omega 3, toxicity or disease the control circuitry of the body is impaired as is clearly viewed in the patient's presentation.�
And later in the article, this paragraph:
�In states of toxicity it is paramount to stabilize omega 6 fatty acids and the lead eicosanoid (Attwell et al 1993) Arachidonic acid (AA) before introducing omega 3 lipids. There exists a crucial balance between omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids in human lipid metabolism which has only recently been brought into clearer focus through the work of Yehuda (1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002). His development of the SR-3 (specific ratio of omega 6 to omega 3) has revealed that the optimum ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 FAs is 4:1.�
My question is this�where do I get omega 6�s? I supplement with COL and fish oil so I get plenty of omega 3�s. The only vegetable oil I use is coconut oil for cooking. I supplement with a little Rice Bran Oil but I don�t know what the composition of that oil is. What should I be looking at to get a 4:1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3?
The best information I have suggests that the best ratio of omega 6 to 3 should be two to one. It appears that the fear of upsetting the balance in favor of too much omega 6 results largely from typical diets that rely heavily on packaged foods processed with the cheap omega 6 oils like soy and corn oils.
The problem also comes from the diets of heavy meat eaters who are eating too much factory-raised beef and poultry which have an unnatural amount of omega 6s.
So assuming that you eat a healthy diet which includes salads, grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, and nuts and seeds which have good amounts of omega 6s, I don't think you should worry.
If you still feel that you could benefit from more omega 6, you could add a supplement of evening primrose or borage oil to your diet. Using more rice bran oil might also be a good idea. I use it for all my high heat cooking since it takes heat better than unrefined coconut oil. Rice bran oil is 37% omega 6. (I also make my own mayonaisse using rice bran oil.)
You might also consider making your own salad dressing using balsamic vinegar mixed with either rice bran or sesame oil (43% omega 6) added to olive oil (which is 10% omega 6).
Unfortunately, I am not able to get grass-fed beef. I can get it without antibiotics used, but not grass-fed. I did have access to farm-raised chickens, but that source has gone away. So what I have left is just plain old grocery store meat--not a good choice, but, my only one.
Then you are probably getting plenty of omega 6 in your diet if you eat meat regularly. So you probably don't have to worry about adding more to your diet (although almonds--raw or soaked--are always good to eat, I believe.) It is good you supplement with fish oils.
Essential fatty acids and EFA-containing oils
The body requires special fats that, among other important functions, make it possible for sufficient oxygen to reach the cells via the cellular membranes, which are the key. These special fats are highly oxygen-absorbing. Called essential fatty acids, or EFAs, these special fats must be supplied from outside the body every day, from foods and certain oils, because your body can't manufacture them on its own. There are two "parent" forms of EFAs that allow your body to make whatever it needs from them, i.e., various types of EFA "derivatives". Parent omega-6 is termed linoleic acid (LA), and parent omega-3 is termed alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
For tables of EFA-containing oils, shown with their percentages of parent omega-6 to parent omega-3, as well as of some EFA derivatives, see https://www.BrianPeskin/Nexus.com. With all the hoopla about olive oil, I want you to know that it contains mainly omega-9, a non-essential oil that your body itself makes. "Extra virgin" olive oil is traditionally unprocessed and therefore not cancer-causing, but it won't protect you against contracting cancer in the least. Avoid margarine: it won't go bad even when kept out of the fridge. This is the proof of hydrogenated oil's failure to oxygenate. If it still could oxygenate when eaten, it would turn rancid when left unrefrigerated--just like fish does. Canola and soy oils are not recommended; neither was ever meant for human consumption but as food for farm animals or for industrial applications. Many foods, especially salad dressings, now contain canola oil. You should try to avoid it.
The oils must be uncooked, or at the very least only slightly heated, to retain their important nutritional properties. Also bear in mind that some supplement manufacturers' labels fail to separately identify and distinguish the parent EFAs from the EFA derivatives. It may be impossible to tell whether you are getting the parent EFAs or the EFA derivatives. Make certain of what you're getting before you purchase it. Make sure the oils are raw, unprocessed and organic and that they do not contain fish oil or any hydrogenated oils.
Omega-6 versus omega-3 ratios in the body
We must look at the tissue content of our bodies to determine what oils contain the best anti-cancer EFAs. It is known from pathology studies that the brain and nervous system have a ratio of one part omega-6 to one part omega-3 (1:1). Some nutritionists suggest that this ratio is best, but they are wrong. Here's why.
Most organs contain a 4:1 omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. However, the brain, nervous system and organs comprise only about 12% of body weight. Skin is 100% parent omega-6 and contains no omega-3;35 it comprises about 4% of body weight. The muscles comprise at least 50% of total body weight and are the prime factor to account for in determining the required parent omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. A key fact about muscle structure is that muscle contains from 5.5 to 7.5 times more omega-6 than omega-3, depending on the degree of physical condition.36 We are warned about "overdosing" on omega-6 in our diets and told that we must take lots of oils containing omega-3 to compensate. We are told that we are ingesting upwards of 20 times too much omega-6. This is wrong, and there is much more to the analysis.
Scientifically, you need an organic supplement with a ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 of 1:1 up to 2.5:1. With this powerfully effective ratio, you only require a minimum amount of 3-4 grams on a daily basis. This ratio is significantly different than your physician, health practitioner or writers on popular nutritional publications will likely suggest: they simply don't know and understand the basis of it. Their analysis consists of a significant number of errors, and I hope you will review the paper "The Scientific Calculation of the Optimum Omega 6/3 Ratio" at https://www.BrianPeskin.com (click on "EFA Report") so you will understand this as well as the science behind the calculation of the ideal omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.
Today, people automatically think of fish oil or flax oil as the anti-cancer solution. Following these incorrect recommendations is a significant factor in why America's cancer rates continue to skyrocket in spite of millions of people taking these oils. Fish oil, with an overdose of omega-3 series derivatives, can actually be cancer-causing-the opposite of what we desire--and flax oil contains far too much parent omega-3.
Most parent omegas do not get converted to derivatives; they remain in the cell membranes and tissues in original parent form. Few scientists understand this and few medical texts explain it.37 Furthermore, commercial food processing destroys a significant amount of these EFAs, along with their oxygenating ability.
EFA-containing foods in the diet
Here's a representative listing of categories of foods containing these essential oils. It is imperative to understand that these foods must be grown organically and, if necessary, processed with low heat and no artificial preservatives-otherwise the EFAs will be ruined, like the trans-fat, hydrogenated, cancer-causing oils you've heard about. Compare your diet and these EFA-containing foods. Are you getting enough of them?
Dairy/eggs/cheese: "Raw milk" cheeses and organic eggs are excellent sources of EFAs. Pasteurised (heated) milk is deficient in EFAs and is detrimental to infants.
Meats: Organically raised and processed chicken, beef (grass-fed is best38), lamb, pork, etc. are rich sources of EFAs. Animal-based protein is also important for obtaining anti-cancer vitamins and minerals and for producing strong haemoglobin which enables oxygen transportation.
Nuts: Organic, unprocessed raw almonds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, etc.
Seafood: Shrimp (prawns), fish, lobster, crab, clams, oysters, etc. It is important to understand that consuming lots of seafood is not the anti-cancer answer. Seafood is overly abundant in both parent and derivative omega-3 EFAs. Fish, especially farmed fish, contains mostly omega-3 derivatives; farmed fish and oil from farmed fish are to be avoided.
Seeds: Organic sunflower, sesame, flax, pumpkin, etc.
The following foods do not contain usable EFAs for humans:
Fruits and vegetables: Animals with multiple stomachs can extract EFAs out of plant-based cellulose like grass, but humans, with only one stomach, cannot. Even if we could extract the EFAs, we could never eat the volume required to get enough.
Grains/cereals: Humans cannot extract the EFAs from them.
The miracle of EFA "oxygen magnets"
Think of these polyunsaturated EFAs as "oxygen magnets". The proof of this fact is buried in the world's leading medical textbooks and medical journals such as Harper's Illustrated Biochemistry, 26th edition,40 and Human Nutrition Clinical Nutrition, July 1984.41
EFAs are integral to the structure and function of cellular respiration. Without high respiration efficiency, cancer is soon to follow. These EFA oxygen magnets in the cell membrane attract the oxygen that's in the bloodstream and transfer it into the cell, just like little oxygen sponges. This process is supposed to be happening in each of the body's 100 trillion cells.
So, no matter how much you breathe or exercise, if you don't have the proper functional EFAs at the cellular level then your cells will not absorb enough oxygen from your bloodstream and you will be that much more susceptible to cancer. Remember that the cancer "threshold" is a 35% decrease in cellular oxygen.
Without a continuing new supply of these EFAs from food, cellular oxygen transfer is significantly reduced. Imagine what would happen if you had 100 trillion cells that were all deficient in a vital substance they required to be able to absorb oxygen.
Here's an example showing how these essential fats absorb oxygen. At the supermarket, fish goes bad in only a few days because the oil in the fish is highly oxygen-absorbing-it reacts rapidly with the oxygen in the air. Fish spoils rapidly because the EFA-containing oil has the capacity to absorb lots of oxygen. This chemical process is called oxidation. This is also true with other types of essential fats. They do their job of absorbing oxygen, but because of it they have a limited life. They simply won't work after a short period. EFAs become "spent", i.e., rancid. That's why they need to be replaced every day from our food-Nature designed us this way.
There are many ways to add additional oxygen to the bloodstream, such as by exercising, drinking "oxygenated" water or breathing purer air. However, these partial solutions are insufficient for maximum anti-cancer protection. When the EFA deficiency is solved, every organ becomes its own "oxygen magnet", just as Nature intended.
Breast cancer and oxygen deficiency
Breast cancer is the number-one cancer plague to women worldwide. The growing incidence of breast cancer can be explained for the first time in light of Dr Warburg's discovery about lack of oxygen to the cells.
The breasts consist of an exceptionally high amount of fatty tissue. A typical cell membrane in muscle tissue is half-fat and contains about one-third EFAs (oxygen transferors). However, fatty tissue like the breast contains areas of 80-95% fat concentration. These fatty components of breast tissue require and should have high EFA concentrations, but because of modern food processing they don't. Because important organs such as the brain, heart, lungs and kidneys require EFAs on a priority basis, there may not be enough left over to ensure that breast tissue receives an adequate amount of EFAs.
Therefore, oxygen deficiency in the breast tissue will be very significant.
Given this premise, we can deduce that breast tissue should and would be the number-one expected cancer site in women worldwide, and it is. This conclusion makes so much sense in explaining the massive rise in breast cancer rates. Harvard's Dr W. C. Willett gives us the proof. In a study on the intake of parent omega-6 involving over 80,000 nurses, it was shown that the group with the lowest intake of linoleic acid (parent omega-6) exhibited the highest incidence of breast cancer (NEJM 1987; 316(1):22-28).42
Has your ob-gyn told you that you need this miraculous anti-cancer nutrient? I doubt it; he or she probably doesn't know.
Fish oil won't stop heart disease
Surprisingly, it was known back in 1979 that diet influenced EFA composition of the cell membrane; this finding was published in Cancer Research (1979; 39:1726-32).43 In 1990, a masterpiece of research conducted by William E. Lands found that the amount of critical parent omega-6 in the tissues was dependent on diet (Lipids 1990; 25(9):505-16).44
To gain the best in scientific research, in 2002 I attended the world's 1st Essential Fatty Acids and Human Nutrition and Health International Conference in Shanghai, China.
There I discovered a shocking and unexpected discovery that fish oil lowers immunity. I nearly fell out of my chair! Overdosing on fish oil supplements can significantly decrease the effectiveness of your immune system, increasing your risk of contracting cancer. The International Society for the Study of Fatty Acids and Lipids (ISSFAL) June 2000 Congress in Tsukuba, Japan,45 had reported this startling fact, as noted earlier.
And don't think that fish oil prevents heart disease. It doesn't. Cardiovascular Research (2002; 54:183-190) reported on a study where both the fish oil group and the control group showed close to equal atherosclerotic progression (arteries getting more clogged in spite of taking fish oil supplements). Nor did fish oil stop thickening of the artery. On the contrary, the artery wall got thicker (worsened) with fish oil ingestion! A mere 1.65 grams per day of fish oil supplement was taken-a great enough dose to cause adverse immunity and excessive internal bleeding, too.46
These results showing the failure of fish oil were published in 2002. Did this stop "experts" in the nutritional and medical fields and even in our governments from declaring how great fish oil supplements are? No!
Harvard Medical School was involved in a study, published in 1995, titled "Controlled Trial of Fish Oil for Regression of Human Coronary Atherosclerosis" (Am Coll Cardiol 1995; 25(7):1492-8).47
The daily dose was six grams of fish oil versus six grams of olive oil in the control group. Their conclusion? "Fish oil treatment for two years does not promote major favorable changes in the diameter of atherosclerotic coronary arteries" (author's emphasis). This means that arterial clogging was not decreased with the fish oil supplements.
Omega-6 derivative AA prevents blood clotting
Dr Warburg understood that slow blood speed allowed cancer to metastasise. Later, other researchers showed that if you can keep a localised cancer from metastasising, your risk of dying from cancer decreases by an amazing tenfold! Even though you may have cancer, you won't die from it. Blood speed and viscosity have a connection to the spread of cancer. This is a surprising, seldom-mentioned fact that was pointed out by world-renowned molecular biologist Robert Weinberg.49
What causes metastasis? Blood clots, and this is known, too.50 What prevents blood from "sticking together" and is also Nature's natural blood-thinner that prevents blood clots? No, it's not omega-3, like you are constantly told. Parent omega-6 is much more powerful. Arachidonic acid (AA) is a critical omega-6 derivative and major biochemical component which occurs in virtually every cell we have. It is the building block of the most potent anti-aggregatory ("helps blood thinning") agent known, termed prostacyclin. AA also inhibits platelet adhesion, making it a natural "blood thinner". AA even helps solve vascular problems as a response to injury.51
Heart attack victims often have depleted EFA levels, especially the EFA derivatives AA from parent omega-6 and EPA from parent omega-3.56 We need some parent omega-3 because EPA is one of its important derivatives. The problem is that fish oil supplements overdose us with far too much.
What's really clogging the arteries
Contrary to what we have heard for decades, it is not the saturated fat that clogs the arteries and impedes blood flow: it's the adulterated parent omega-6.
A groundbreaking Lancet article (1994; 344:1195-96) reported investigating the components of arterial plaques. Felton et al. measured the individual components, and in an aortic artery clog they found over 10 different compounds but no saturated fat.57 There was some cholesterol in the clog. This is explained by the fact that cholesterol acts as a protective healer for arterial cuts and bruises, just like a scab forms over external cuts.
What is the predominant component of a clog? You probably guessed it: the adulterated omega-6 polyunsaturated oils-those that start out containing properly functioning EFAs but get ruined during commercial food processing. Many similar analyses of arterial clogs showing the same result have been carried out and published in the medical journals, but it would seem that few physicians have seen them.58 The average person has little, if any, chance of ever discovering the truth.
So, it is not cholesterol itself that clogs the arteries. If you have a deficiency of EFAs, cholesterol acts as a "poison delivery system". EFAs are cholesterol's major component. As the medical textbook Molecular Biology of the Cell makes clear (p. 481), cholesterol is necessary for the structural integrity of the lipid bi-layer, the matrix in each of our 100 trillion cell membranes. JAMA (1994; 272:1335-40) published an article stating that cholesterol-lowering drugs do not work significantly to prevent heart disease. The reason? They can't lower the amount of defective parent omega-6 enough.
As stated in Current Atherosclerosis Reports (2004; 6:477-84), this is why cholesterol drugs can't do the job:59 "LDL contains up to 80% lipids [fats and oils], including polyunsaturated fatty acids and cholesterol, mainly esters. Linoleic acid (LA), one of the most abundant fatty acids in LDL�"
With this information, we see that it is what the cholesterol is transporting-the adulterated EFAs-that is the problem. An article in Human Nutrition: Clinical Nutrition (1984; 38C:245-260) further verifies that it is parent omega-6 that makes up most of the fatty acids in LDL and HDL cholesterol.60
Don't let anyone ever tell you that natural fats are "bad". One hundred trillion cells need lots of EFA-containing natural fats; in particular, lots of parent omega-6.
If just a little of this parent omega-6 is defective, reducing its ability to absorb oxygen and perform other cellular functions, it acts as a direct cause of cancer as well as heart disease. https://www.nexusmagazine.com/article...cerOxygen.html
Personally, I don't take oil supplements. I eat cold ocean fish and use olive oil, coconut oil, and ricebran oil for food. I also eat 2 tbs freshly ground flax seed daily.
Thanks for posting the article. Who wrote it, by the way? I liked a lot of what the author said, but I am not ready to buy into all of it. I think that the breast cancer/oxygen link due to too much omega 3 is a stretch. The O3s do absorb oxygen. But it is usually advised to add some vitamin E to your diet to prevent the O3 from oxidizing. The author doesn't mention this concept, I don't think.
What really floored me was this statement: " 'Extra virgin' olive oil is traditionally unprocessed and therefore not cancer-causing, but it won't protect you against contracting cancer IN THE LEAST." (my emphasis) Where does he get that? A quick (very quick) Pubmed search found this from four different and recent studies:
CONCLUSIONS: Our results do not indicate a relevant role of fried foods on colorectal cancer risk. We found a possible favorable effect of (fried) olive oil on colon cancer risk but not on rectal cancer risk.
Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), mainly OA, present in high quantities in olive oil, seem to be protective although some inconsistent results have been reported. Bioactive compounds of virgin olive oil may also account for the protective effect of this oil. . .
High consumption of olive oil in the Mediterranean diet has been suggested to protect DNA against oxidative damage and to reduce cancer incidence. . . .These findings support the idea that ingestion of olive oil is beneficial and can reduce the rate of oxidation of DNA.
Our most recent findings reveal that oleic acid (OA; 18:1n-9), the main olive oil's monounsaturated fatty acid, can suppress the overexpression of HER2 (erbB-2), a well-characterized oncogene playing a key role in the etiology, invasive progression and metastasis in several human cancers.
The author does raise some very interesting points which I would like to know more about. But right now I have some skeptism concerning some of it. Thanks again for posting it.
The article is from the link given at the end of the posting. Only the second half of the article was posted. Information about the author is given at that site.
This is the author. I don't know anything about him.
Quote:
Brian Peskin earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) in 1979. He received an appointment as an Adjunct Professor at Texas Southern University in the Department of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (1998-1999). The former president of the University said of Brian's discoveries: "...His nutritional discoveries and practical applications through Life-Systems Engineering are unprecedented."
Brian founded the field of Life-Systems Engineering Science in 1995. This field is defined as The New Science of Maximizing Desired Results by Working Cooperatively with the Natural Processes of Living Systems.
The professor�s landmark book is
now available for purchase!
The Hidden Story of Cancer starts with the discoveries of Nobel Prize-winning biochemist Otto Warburg, M.D., Ph.D. describing the prime cause of cancer, how the American medical community confirmed it, and how today's cancer physicians and oncology journals are aware of it, but have no idea how to practically solve the problem. The great news is the prime cause of cancer is NOT genetic like you have been told. Empty "promises of hope in the future" are no longer required. Cancer DOES NOT have to be in yours or your loved ones future. Brian has single-handedly discovered the solutions to Dr. Warburg's "equations." Physicians praise this seminal work: https://www.brianpeskin.com/
In the latest Crusador newsletter they have the second part of an interview with Udo Erasmus (sp?), Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill! (Part II). I have read both parts. https://healthtruthrevealed.com/publications.php
A lot of people swear by Udo's oil but I never gave it much thought because it has Omega 6 in it too. His response is that the body needs the 6 and is not getting it from the toxic types of Omega 6 in the American diet.
Has anyone had experience with Udo's oil? I might consider using a bit but wouldn't replace all my cod liver oil because I need the extra A and D in it.
Udo also mentions some problems with an overbalance of Omega 3. I don't think it is a problem for most of us...but if the 6 we get isn't doing the job then maybe yes...?
My thinking is that if you eat healthy meats and nuts and seeds, you are probably getting enough omega 6s, especially if you use sesame and rice bran oil.
Erasmus is a wealth of information, but I believe he is too much of a salesman. I am not the only one who thinks this (https://www.westonaprice.org/bookreviews/fat_kills.html). And, in the articles you referred to, he makes some obvious errors in fact. He says that high-heat cooking can create trans fat. Wrong. He also states that a diet high in saturated fat (bacon and steak, e.g.) can lead to diabetes and cancer. Wrong--unless one is eating factory-farmed meats with hormones and preservatives.
He does state that O6 and O3 compete for the same enzymes which enable the body to use them. True, but why does his oil blend contain both O6 and O3? Would it not be better to consume these essential oils at different times of the day in order to properly use them?
Why does he not recommend the use of fresh flax seeds which have greater health benefits and are less like to go rancid?
He does raise some interesting points about how molecularly distilled fish oils may be damaged by the processing. I should look into that. But does he tell us how his own flax oil is processed? I do not remember.
As much as I like much of what he has to say, I don't think I can trust everything.
This is the author. I don't know anything about him.
Dear Iggy and other experts:
Instead of eating flax seed oil, how about eating flaxseed ?
Instead of eating soy bean oil, how about eating cooked soy bean?
How about eating cooked (navy bean, black bean,other beans)? Do they
contain omega-6? Do fresh avocado contain omega-6 ?
Sincerely john1ask
Unfortunately, I am not able to get grass-fed beef. I can get it without antibiotics used, but not grass-fed. I did have access to farm-raised chickens, but that source has gone away. So what I have left is just plain old grocery store meat--not a good choice, but, my only one.
Mari
It is hard as hell to find grass fed beef. The whole foods in pittsburgh has it (30 miles from me) and when I go, I usually get 3-4 packages. organic beef is better than avg store bought beef but is inferior to grass fed beef.
Omega 6/omega 3 balance
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