Omega-6 fatty acids (also referred to as ω-6 fatty acids or n-6 fatty acids) are a family of
polyunsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon
double bond in the
n-6 position, that is, the sixth bond, counting from the
methyl end.[1]
Health effects
The
American Heart Association "supports an omega-6 PUFA intake of at least 5% to 10% of energy in the context of other AHA lifestyle and dietary recommendations. To reduce omega-6 PUFA intakes from their current levels would be more likely to increase than to decrease risk for coronary heart disease."[2]
A 2018 review found that an increased intake of omega‐6 fatty acids has been shown to reduce total serum cholesterol and may reduce
myocardial infarction (heart attack), but found no significant change in
LDL cholesterol and
triglycerides.[3] A 2021 review found that omega-6 supplements do not affect the risk of
CVD morbidity and mortality.[4]
A 2023 review found that omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with lower risk of high
blood pressure.[5] Omega‐6 fatty acids are not associated with
atrial fibrillation.[6]
Dietary sources
Dietary sources of omega-6 fatty acids include:[7]
Vegetable oils are a major source of omega-6 linoleic acid. Worldwide, more than 100 million
metric tons of vegetable oils are extracted annually from
palm fruits,
soybean seeds,
grape seeds, and
sunflower seeds, providing more than 32 million metric tons of omega-6 linoleic acid and 4 million metric tons of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid.[8][9]
Properties of
vegetable oils[10][11] The nutritional values are expressed as percent (%) by mass of total fat.
^Garg PK, Guan W, Nomura S, Weir NL, Tintle N, Virtanen JK, Hirakawa Y, Qian F, Sun Q, Rimm E, Lemaitre RN, Jensen PN, Heckbert SR, Imamura F, Steur M, Leander K, Laguzzi F, Voortman T, Ninomiya T, Mozaffarian D, Harris WS, Siscovick DS, Tsai MY (2023). "Fatty Acids and Outcomes Research Consortium (FORCE). n-6 fatty acid biomarkers and incident atrial fibrillation: an individual participant-level pooled analysis of 11 international prospective studies". The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 118 (5): 921–929.
doi:
10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.09.008.
PMID37769813.{{
cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^Gunstone, Frank (December 2007).
"Market update: Palm oil". International News on Fats, Oils and Related Materials. 18 (12): 835–36. Archived from
the original on 2013-04-03.
^
abc"US National Nutrient Database, Release 28". United States Department of Agriculture. May 2016. All values in this table are from this database unless otherwise cited or when italicized as the simple arithmetic sum of other component columns.
^"Avocado oil, fat composition, 100 g". US National Nutrient Database, Release 28, United States Department of Agriculture. May 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^"Brazil nut oil, fat composition, 100 g". US National Nutrient Database, Release 28, United States Department of Agriculture. May 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^"Canola oil, fat composition, 100 g". US National Nutrient Database, Release 28, United States Department of Agriculture. May 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^"Coconut oil, fat composition, 100 g". US National Nutrient Database, Release 28, United States Department of Agriculture. May 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^Callaway J, Schwab U, Harvima I, Halonen P, Mykkänen O, Hyvönen P, Järvinen T (April 2005). "Efficacy of dietary hempseed oil in patients with atopic dermatitis". The Journal of Dermatological Treatment. 16 (2): 87–94.
doi:
10.1080/09546630510035832.
PMID16019622.
S2CID18445488.
^"Palm oil, fat composition, 100 g". US National Nutrient Database, Release 28, United States Department of Agriculture. May 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
^Orthoefer FT (2005). "Chapter 10: Rice Bran Oil". In Shahidi F (ed.). Bailey's Industrial Oil and Fat Products. Vol. 2 (6th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 465.
doi:
10.1002/047167849X.
ISBN978-0-471-38552-3.