You, like many others, ask "What is Omega 6".
Well.
Omega 6 is a group of fats including Linoleic Acid, which is converted by the body into Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), and include Arachidonic Acid.
It is one of a family of fatty acids that are essential to human health and provides one of our natural defenses against such diseases as cancer, eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, diabetic neuropathy and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women.
"Hmm! OK.
But, what really is Omega 6?", I hear you say.
That explanation was awfully technical and must mean something to experts, but to you, like me - it really didn't help me very much.
Well, let me try again.
I suppose the first things you need to know are: 1.
Because the body cannot product Omega 6 fatty acids naturally, they must be obtained from food.
In common with all omega's it is indispensable for many physiologic processes, and omegas are components of nerve cells, cell membranes, and prostaglandins (which help control inflammation).
They are also essential for healthy skin, hair and nails.
2.
It is an unsaturated fat.
Unsaturated fats are considered unhealthy when eaten in excess, but their presence in foods should not concern those that eat a healthy balanced diet and exercise regularly.
However, eat too much fat and also eating an excess of omega 6 fats is damaging to your liver and is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
As general obesity rates continue to rise this is starting to become a big problem for Americans, and in many other nations.
As in so many walks of life what does you good in moderation, becomes your enemy in excess, so let's keep this balance in-mind and always remember that omega 6s are also essential fatty acids.
They help maintain our stock of fats and promote rigidity in our cells.
Medical experts also inform us that they also promote coagulation and inflammation in response to attack from outside sources.
In fact they paint a picture of the Omega 3s and Omega 6s constantly competing to control many important functions of our bodies.
Now, if you are still reading you must be seriously interested! So, here is some more "chemical talk".
Hang on in here and read this, because it does give those that think about this concept a deeper insight, if you really want to know, "What is Omega 6".
Omega 6s are called omega-6 because of their common chemical composition, which includes a carbon double bond six carbons distance from the omega or last carbon in a chain.
They got their name from this common feature which indicates to chemistry experts where the double bonds occur in the chain of fatty acids.
Omega-6 fatty acids are derived in our food from dietary items such as eggs, meat, whole grains, cereals, polyunsaturated oils from vegetables and nuts, and most baked goods.
Quite frequently, western diets do not require any supplementation with additional omega 6, and often the reverse applies.
Nutritionists are realizing now, that in the typical western diet, the ratio between Omega 3s and Omega 6s have been imbalanced in the commonly available foods, and that has ben the case since the 1940s.
This imbalance started with the rise in use of processed foods at that time and persists.
It arises from the fact that most western diets today contain a much larger proportion of Omega 6s than they do of Omega 3s.
That being the case, many experts say that it is no surprise that the cancer rate has also increased in the west since 1940, as cancer and inflammation control in the body is closely linked and that the omega 6s are important for the avoidance of inflammation.
In short, both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are both essential for the body to function well.
Omega 3 fatty acids can be eaten in the form of coldwater fishes such as sardines and salmon, fish oils, cod liver oil and flax seed oil.
Omega 6 fatty acids are found in many vegetable oils such as corn oil, sun flower oil, soy oil, peanut oil, but they are also to be found in meats, and dairy products.
As we have already indicated, omega 6s are needed for biological functioning, and most of us need not concern ourselves about eating enough of them, as within our diets deficiencies are rare.
This has been put into figures on some websites where they estimate that an average American gets between 9 and 17g daily of this form of fat from diet alone.
This being the case, supplements of specific omega 6 fats are rarely needed, although they are available to treat specific conditions.
Such conditions can only be diagnosed by your doctor, so you should consult your doctor before taking any omega 6 supplements.
However, taking capsules of evening primrose oil, borage oil, and black currant seed oil which can supplement food sources of GLA may reportedly be appropriate for some people.
Returning now to the issue of what are commonly known as unsaturated fats, Omega 6 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat, or PUSF.
Polyunsaturated fats comprise a long chain of carbon atoms with more than one double-bond somewhere along the chain.
In omega-6 fatty acids, the first double-bond is found immediately after the sixth carbon atom of the chain.
Our bodies cannot insert a double-bond after the third or sixth carbon atom, making it necessary to ingest these fats in our food.
Fatty acids, which are one of one or two types of lipids in your body, are at their most basic, just chains of carbon atoms that are hooked along with either single or double bonds.
A carbon atom has got 4 electrons that it can share with other atoms.
The sharing of one electron with another atom creates a single bond, while the sharing of 2 electrons forms a double bond.
A fatty acid is described to be "saturated" if all of its carbon links are joined by single bonds.
Inversely, an "unsaturated" fatty acid contains one double bond, as in a "monounsaturated" fatty acid, or multiple double bonds, as in a "polyunsaturated" fatty acid.
Now, you should know "What is Omega 6", in some depth.
So, let me round this off by saying that with all the worries over America's "obesity pandemic" and the furore over fat heavy foods, it is commonly easily forgotten that you will need some fat in your diet to remain healthy.
The normal view that fats are simply energy storage molecules is outmoded.
Fatty acids play significant functions in hormone production, cell surface membrane integrity, immunity function, inflammation and a profusion of other physiological activities.
Nevertheless, the kinds of fat you eat and realtive proportions makes a serious impact on your healthfulness.
Well.
Omega 6 is a group of fats including Linoleic Acid, which is converted by the body into Gamma Linolenic Acid (GLA), and include Arachidonic Acid.
It is one of a family of fatty acids that are essential to human health and provides one of our natural defenses against such diseases as cancer, eczema, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, diabetic neuropathy and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women.
"Hmm! OK.
But, what really is Omega 6?", I hear you say.
That explanation was awfully technical and must mean something to experts, but to you, like me - it really didn't help me very much.
Well, let me try again.
I suppose the first things you need to know are: 1.
Because the body cannot product Omega 6 fatty acids naturally, they must be obtained from food.
In common with all omega's it is indispensable for many physiologic processes, and omegas are components of nerve cells, cell membranes, and prostaglandins (which help control inflammation).
They are also essential for healthy skin, hair and nails.
2.
It is an unsaturated fat.
Unsaturated fats are considered unhealthy when eaten in excess, but their presence in foods should not concern those that eat a healthy balanced diet and exercise regularly.
However, eat too much fat and also eating an excess of omega 6 fats is damaging to your liver and is associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
As general obesity rates continue to rise this is starting to become a big problem for Americans, and in many other nations.
As in so many walks of life what does you good in moderation, becomes your enemy in excess, so let's keep this balance in-mind and always remember that omega 6s are also essential fatty acids.
They help maintain our stock of fats and promote rigidity in our cells.
Medical experts also inform us that they also promote coagulation and inflammation in response to attack from outside sources.
In fact they paint a picture of the Omega 3s and Omega 6s constantly competing to control many important functions of our bodies.
Now, if you are still reading you must be seriously interested! So, here is some more "chemical talk".
Hang on in here and read this, because it does give those that think about this concept a deeper insight, if you really want to know, "What is Omega 6".
Omega 6s are called omega-6 because of their common chemical composition, which includes a carbon double bond six carbons distance from the omega or last carbon in a chain.
They got their name from this common feature which indicates to chemistry experts where the double bonds occur in the chain of fatty acids.
Omega-6 fatty acids are derived in our food from dietary items such as eggs, meat, whole grains, cereals, polyunsaturated oils from vegetables and nuts, and most baked goods.
Quite frequently, western diets do not require any supplementation with additional omega 6, and often the reverse applies.
Nutritionists are realizing now, that in the typical western diet, the ratio between Omega 3s and Omega 6s have been imbalanced in the commonly available foods, and that has ben the case since the 1940s.
This imbalance started with the rise in use of processed foods at that time and persists.
It arises from the fact that most western diets today contain a much larger proportion of Omega 6s than they do of Omega 3s.
That being the case, many experts say that it is no surprise that the cancer rate has also increased in the west since 1940, as cancer and inflammation control in the body is closely linked and that the omega 6s are important for the avoidance of inflammation.
In short, both omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are both essential for the body to function well.
Omega 3 fatty acids can be eaten in the form of coldwater fishes such as sardines and salmon, fish oils, cod liver oil and flax seed oil.
Omega 6 fatty acids are found in many vegetable oils such as corn oil, sun flower oil, soy oil, peanut oil, but they are also to be found in meats, and dairy products.
As we have already indicated, omega 6s are needed for biological functioning, and most of us need not concern ourselves about eating enough of them, as within our diets deficiencies are rare.
This has been put into figures on some websites where they estimate that an average American gets between 9 and 17g daily of this form of fat from diet alone.
This being the case, supplements of specific omega 6 fats are rarely needed, although they are available to treat specific conditions.
Such conditions can only be diagnosed by your doctor, so you should consult your doctor before taking any omega 6 supplements.
However, taking capsules of evening primrose oil, borage oil, and black currant seed oil which can supplement food sources of GLA may reportedly be appropriate for some people.
Returning now to the issue of what are commonly known as unsaturated fats, Omega 6 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat, or PUSF.
Polyunsaturated fats comprise a long chain of carbon atoms with more than one double-bond somewhere along the chain.
In omega-6 fatty acids, the first double-bond is found immediately after the sixth carbon atom of the chain.
Our bodies cannot insert a double-bond after the third or sixth carbon atom, making it necessary to ingest these fats in our food.
Fatty acids, which are one of one or two types of lipids in your body, are at their most basic, just chains of carbon atoms that are hooked along with either single or double bonds.
A carbon atom has got 4 electrons that it can share with other atoms.
The sharing of one electron with another atom creates a single bond, while the sharing of 2 electrons forms a double bond.
A fatty acid is described to be "saturated" if all of its carbon links are joined by single bonds.
Inversely, an "unsaturated" fatty acid contains one double bond, as in a "monounsaturated" fatty acid, or multiple double bonds, as in a "polyunsaturated" fatty acid.
Now, you should know "What is Omega 6", in some depth.
So, let me round this off by saying that with all the worries over America's "obesity pandemic" and the furore over fat heavy foods, it is commonly easily forgotten that you will need some fat in your diet to remain healthy.
The normal view that fats are simply energy storage molecules is outmoded.
Fatty acids play significant functions in hormone production, cell surface membrane integrity, immunity function, inflammation and a profusion of other physiological activities.
Nevertheless, the kinds of fat you eat and realtive proportions makes a serious impact on your healthfulness.