Inflammation and Omegas

Our standard American diet is packed full of pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, while anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids are incredibly sparse. This imbalance of fatty acids, overconsumption of omega-6’s and low intake of omega-3 fatty acids, can reach a 10:1 to 25:1 ratio, much higher than the recommended less than 4:1 ratio. As such, we have seen a rise in inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, degenerative disease, cancer, chronic pain, and diabetes.

Immunity can also be heavily impacted by the fatty acid imbalance. Having too much omega-6 fatty acids compared to omega-3’s can decrease immune function, making you more likely to get sick and harder for you to get better. This is especially bad around this time of year. No one wants to be sick over the holidays!

Where are you getting these fatty acids? Inflammatory foods include vegetable oils and conventional meats. Anti-inflammatory foods are green vegetables, fatty fish, flaxseed and olive oil, and grass-fed meats. Often, one of the first questions I am asked when I mention this is: “But shouldn’t I be cutting eating low fat?” The good kind of fats from anti-inflammatory foods are essential in keeping us healthy! In fact, Eskimos, who had very high fat diets rich in omega-3’s, saw nearly none of the chronic health issues that we experience. Heart disease, cancers, diabetes, appendicitis, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, gallstones, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis are unheard of in that population, all thanks to their anti-inflammatory diet!