Finding Balance
Trouble sleeping, achy joints, trouble digesting food, brain fog, and high stress are all signs that you may be suffering from high levels of inflammation. Worse still, things like stress and diet can create a positive feedback loop, skewing your omega-3 ratios even more. By understanding your Omega-6 to Omega-3 fat balance you will begin to see how balancing healthy levels of inflammation can keep you safe from a multitude of pro-inflammatory conditions.
What is Measured
Inflammatory Markers
The ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 fatty acids as indicators of overall inflammation in the body.
Omega-3's and 6's are essential in the diet meaning that our body can not manufacture them on its own. Omega-6's serve important purposes, however they are more widely available in the diet, therefore we often see on this test that there is an imbalance between inflammatory and anti-inflammatory fats.
Omega 6's are polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), which tend to accumulate in the body over time. Western diets especially are extremely high in linoleic acid and other Omega 6's. The amount of omega-6 fatty acids found in body fat stores has increased by more than 200% in the past 50 years with the introduction of cheap vegetable oils. Currently, average body fat storage of Omega 6s to Omega 3's is around 15:1
Omega 3 fatty acids are found in animal products as well as certain seeds like chia and flaxseed. Boosting Omega 3 fatty acids can reign in the ratio of proinflammatory Omega 6's.
An ideal ratio is around 5:1 Omega 6s to Omega 3, but we recommend an even lower ratio of 3:1 for optimal health.