How much omega-6 fatty acids do you really need?

  Here’s a brief excerpt from my new book, Undoctored: Why Health Care Has Failed You and How You Can Become Smarter Than Your Doctor, available as pre-order and scheduled for release May 9, 2017:   From Undoctored: You don’t want omega-6 overload, but you also don’t want omega-6 deficiency. The ideal omega-6:omega-3 index is 2:1 or less. How do you achieve the right balance? It is much more simple than you might think. To ensure that you are consuming the correct amount of omega-6 vs. omega-3, choose fats such as lard and tallow (provided they are not hydrogenated, if store-bought), coconut oil, palm oil (look for sustainably produced brands), extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, cocoa butter, and organic butter and ghee. Avoid corn, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, rice bran, grapeseed, canola, peanut, soybean, and “vegetable” oils. Also avoid any oil that is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated, as well as margarine. Linolenic acid–rich oils, such as flaxseed and walnut, are somewhere in between—use them, but don’t rely on them excessively (as they also contain substantial omega-6 oils). Foods containing plentiful corn oil, canola oil, soybean oil, and other seed oils send omega-6 (linoleic acid) intake ten- or twentyfold higher than it should be. Such high intakes of omega-6 fatty acids contribute to inflammation, depression, heart disease risk, and developmental defects in children, particularly if combined with low levels of omega-3 fatt...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Omega-6 vs. omega-3 Source Type: blogs