Omega-6 fatty acid explained

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

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]

List of omega-6 fatty acids

Common nameLipid nameChemical name
Linoleic acid (LA)18:2 (n−6)all-cis-9,12-octadecadienoic acid
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA)18:3 (n−6)all-cis-6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid
Calendic acid18:3 (n−6)8E,10E,12Z-octadecatrienoic acid
Eicosadienoic acid20:2 (n−6)all-cis-11,14-eicosadienoic acid
Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (DGLA)20:3 (n−6)all-cis-8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid
Arachidonic acid (AA, ARA)20:4 (n−6)all-cis-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid
Docosadienoic acid22:2 (n−6)all-cis-13,16-docosadienoic acid
Adrenic acid22:4 (n−6)all-cis-7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid
Osbond acid22:5 (n−6)all-cis-4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic acid
Tetracosatetraenoic acid24:4 (n−6)all-cis-9,12,15,18-tetracosatetraenoic acid
Tetracosapentaenoic acid24:5 (n−6)all-cis-6,9,12,15,18-tetracosapentaenoic acid

The melting point of the fatty acids increases as the number of carbons in the chain increases.[10]

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Chow, Ching Kuang . Fatty Acids in Foods and Their Health Implications . Routledge Publishing . 2001 . New York . 25508943.
  2. Harris . WS . Mozaffarian . D . Rimm . E . Kris-Etherton . P . Rudel . LL . Appel . LJ . Engler . MM . Engler . MB . Sacks . F . Omega-6 fatty acids and risk for cardiovascular disease: a science advisory from the American Heart Association Nutrition Subcommittee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism; Council on Cardiovascular Nursing; and Council on Epidemiology and Prevention . Circulation . 119 . 6 . 902–7 . 2009 . 19171857 . 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.108.191627 . free.
  3. Hooper L, Al-Khudairy L, Abdelhamid AS, Rees K, Brainard JS, Brown TJ, Ajabnoor SM, O'Brien AT, Winstanley LE, Donaldson DH, Song F, Deane KH . 2018 . Omega-6 fats for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease . Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews . 2018 . 11 . CD011094 . 10.1002/14651858.CD011094.pub4 . 30488422 . 6516799 .
  4. Mazidi M, Shekoohi N, Katsiki N, Banach M . 2021 . Omega-6 fatty acids and the risk of cardiovascular disease: insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and a Mendelian randomization study . Archives of Medical Science . 18 . 2 . 466–479 . 10.5114/aoms/136070 . 35316920. 8924827 .
  5. Hajihashemi P, Feizi A, Heidari Z, Haghighatdoost F.. 2023. Association of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids with blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 63. 14. 2247–2259. 10.1080/10408398.2021.1973364. 36939291.
  6. 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. 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.09.008. 37769813.
  7. Web site: Food sources of total omega 6 fatty acids . 2011-09-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111007012342/http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table2.html . 2011-10-07 . dead .
  8. Gunstone . Frank . December 2007 . Market update: Palm oil . International News on Fats, Oils and Related Materials . 18 . 12 . 835–36 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130403202146/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1421893231.html. dead. 2013-04-03.
  9. Oilseeds: World Market and Trade. January 2009. Soybean Oil Prices Suddenly Diverge from Energy Market. FOP 1-09. 2009-01-12. USDA. 2019-08-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20130309135414/http://@fas.usda.gov/oilseeds/circular/2009/January/Oilseedsfull0109.pdf. 2013-03-09. dead., Table 03: Major Vegetable Oils: World Supply and Distribution at Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade Monthly Circular
  10. Web site: 2020-04-30 . Biochemical Properties of Lipids . 2022-05-11 . The Medical Biochemistry Page . en-US.

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