What is Omega 6?

What is Omega 6?

• Omega 6 is a type of fat, belonging to the group of unsaturated, polyunsaturated fats. This is an essential fatty acid that cannot be synthesized by the body and must be obtained through food.
• Omega 6 ingredients include: LA (Linoleic Acid), GLA (Gamma linolenic acid), DGLA (Dihomo gamma linolenic acid) and AA (Arachidonic acid). Among them, the most important is linoleic acid – an essential fatty acid present in most daily vegetable oils.

What are the health benefits of Omega 6?

For adults

• Omega 6 helps prevent the risk of cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, anti-atherosclerotic, fatty liver, … According to the American Heart Association , in omega 6 contains linoleic acid to help reduce the risk. suffer from cardiovascular diseases.
• Omega 6 supplements also help reduce joint pain, arthritis, and regulate blood pressure.
• For women, Omega 6 relieves uncomfortable symptoms before menstruation, reducing pre-menopause symptoms.
• Omega 6 is good for brain and eye performance: Reduce eye fatigue when active, prevent eye aging and brain degeneration in the elderly.

For pregnant women

• For the fetus, Omega 6 plays an important role in brain development and vision.
• For mothers, Omega 6 helps reduce the risk of premature birth, pre-eclampsia, the risk of postpartum depression.

For children

• Along with Omega 3, Omega 6 are two types of essential fatty acids, necessary for the normal development of the brain, affecting children’s ability to learn and remember.
• In addition, Omega 6 also contributes to improving the resistance, helping the child’s body to fully absorb the necessary nutrients.

Omega 6 imbalance and excess

• An imbalance of Omega 6 and Omega 3 causes harm to the body. Because Omega 6 and Omega 3 use the same nutrients to function. More Omega 6 will take up all the nutrients, making Omega 3 work less effectively.
• Excess omega 6 will cause obesity, cause pain, arthritis, asthma, make the body retain more water, increase blood pressure, leading to an increased risk of blood clots in the vessels.
• For pregnant women, an imbalance between Omega 6 and Omega 3 increases the risk of breast cancer.

• What is Omega 9 (oleic acid)? Effects and food sources of Omega 9 for the body

Optimal Omega 3 and Omega 6 ratio

Studies show that the healthy Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio you should follow is between 1:1 and 5:1.

The best ratio of Omega 6 to Omega 3 for pregnant women is 2:1. Exceeding this ratio, excess Omega 6 will be harmful to health.

Reference: What is Omega 3 or Linolenic Acid?

Omega 6 is found in what foods?

• Vegetable oil is a food source that contains a lot of Omega 6, such as soybean oil, flaxseed oil, corn oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, etc.
• Eggs, fish, fat and other daily foods also contain the necessary amount of Omega 6 for the body.
• Powdered milk is the main source of supplementary food with Omega 6 and Omega 3 at the same time. The Omega 6 content in milk powder is researched to be suitable for each age group and different uses.

Tips for supplementing with omega 6 (arachidonic acid)

• It is necessary to balance the ratio between the amount of Omega 6 and Omega 3 supplements for the body, in order to promote the effects of omega 6 in the best way, avoiding harm to health.
• In case of taking Omega 6 supplements, it is advisable to consult a doctor for proper use.
• Because omega 6 is provided a lot from everyday foods, it is very important to choose safe foods. Should choose to buy consumer food at reputable and quality selling points in the market.

Supplementing with omega 6 properly will bring great benefits to health. In the process of supplementing with omega 6, it is necessary to pay attention to the balance between the amount of omega 6 and omega 3 provided to the body to achieve the best effect!

Source: Vinmec

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