Why is omega balance becoming such an issue?
Our food supply has changed considerably over the past century.
The use of vegetable and seed oils rich in the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid increased dramatically during the twentieth century. Research examining US food-supply data found a substantial increase in linoleic-acid availability over that period.
The way animals are raised also influences the fats ultimately present in our food.
Australian research comparing grass-fed and grain-fed beef, for example, found significantly greater total and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids in grass-fed beef, while grain feeding reduced the omega-3 content.
Aquaculture has changed too. In a study of more than 3,000 Scottish farmed Atlantic salmon between 2006 and 2015, increasing use of terrestrial ingredients in fish feed was accompanied by falling EPA and DHA concentrations in the salmon.
So although both omega-6 and omega-3 fats are essential, the relative balance we are exposed to through the modern food supply can be very different from that of previous generations.
Zinzino reports that among people in its database who are not taking an omega-3 supplement, average Omega-6:3 ratios are considerably above its target range. This does not mean that every person is imbalanced — and that is precisely why I prefer to test rather than assume.
Fatty-acid status also begins before birth. Maternal omega-3 and omega-6 status influences the fatty acids available to the developing baby through the placenta, so a baby does not necessarily begin life with an ideal fatty-acid balance simply because they are young.
