Omega-6 Fatty Acids Good for Heart Health

DALLAS—Omega-6 fatty acids are a beneficial part of a heart-healthy eating plan, according to a science advisory published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.

The AHA recommends that people aim for at least 5 percent to 10 percent of calories from omega-6 fatty acids. According to the advisory, most Americans actually get enough of these oils in the foods they are currently eating, such as nuts, cooking oils and salad dressings. Recommended daily servings of omega-6 depend on physical activity level, age and gender, but range from 12 to 22 grams per day.

Omega-6, and the similarly-named omega-3 fatty acids found in fattier fish such as tuna, mackerel and salmon, are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) that play a crucial role in heart and brain function and in normal growth and development. The advisory reported that PUFAs are “essential” fats that your body needs but can’t produce, so you must get them from food.

The advisory reviewed a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled trials, and more than two dozen observational, cohort, case/control and ecological reports. Observational studies showed that people who ate the most omega-6 fatty acids usually had the least heart disease. Other studies examined blood levels of omega-6 in heart patients compared with healthy people and found that patients with heart disease had lower levels of omega-6 in their blood. In controlled trials in which researchers randomly assigned people to consume diets containing high vs. low levels of omega-6 and then recorded the number of heart attacks over several years, those assigned to the higher omega-6 diets had less heart disease.