In recent years, a good deal of both the scientific literature and nutrition experts have focused on polyunsaturated fatty acids and their role in the immune system and metabolism in general.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids are a type of fatty acid that perform many functions and are involved in some inflammatory processes (in the production of pro-inflammatory molecules, for example).

Among these there are some defined essential fatty acids , which must be taken through the diet, and in general the omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids belong to the polyunsaturated family .
The essentials are type 6 (linoleic acid) and 3 (alpha-linolenic acid).

However, not all these fatty acids are born equal and , and in particular in the modern diet, an excess of omega 6 fatty acids is very frequent, and is linked to a slowing down of metabolism, inflammatory processes, a greater risk of disease.

You may wonder why.
From what is known, an imbalance in the relationship between the consumption of omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids is among the causes of increasing Western obesity and many chronic inflammatory and degenerative diseases (obesity).

Omega 6s convert to arachidonic acid .
This, under normal conditions and doses, does not cause damage, but can be converted into inflammatory prostaglandins, which lead to platelet aggregation and increased blood density.

Did I write thrombi ? No, but I thought so.

According to the  Recommended Nutrient Intake Levels for the Italian population , the right ratio between omega 6 and omega should be 4: 1 or 5: 1, i.e. we should eat 4/5 times more omega 6 than omega 3.

Instead, we eat 13 times more , meaning our omega 6 consumption has more than tripled . It seems that in the United States the consumption of omega6 is much higher, even reaching 18: 1 compared to omega3.

But how does it happen? Easy, the food industry has to do with it as usual.

We find omega 6 in many foods , but a higher concentration of them is found in vegetable and seed oils (less in fruit oils), in nuts (apart from macadamias which have more omega 9) and in oil seeds (seeds of flax contain both omega 6 and omega 3, sunflower or sesame seeds are rich in omega 6).

In medium concentration they are found in whole grains and whole grain products, in legumes and soy products, in poultry (because animals would eat a diet rich in grains such as soy and corn and soybean oil), in pork (soybean oil in pastoni), in eggs (from hens fed soy and corn). And then: biscuits, snacks, bars, even spreads, baked goods, and of course crisps.

As you can see it is almost impossible not to take omega 6 , and in fact we must take omega 6, we just have to stop taking too many .

But in spreads, in baked goods that have sunflower oil, peanut and various seed oils, in all snacks, the concentration of omega 6 makes our diet unbalanced and pro-inflammatory.

It would be enough to do without many industrial products and stop eating nuts, seeds and hazelnuts that are as fashionable today as rodents, to restore the right ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 thanks to a varied diet.

Too many omega 6s are currently known to be linked to a host of inflammatory and cardiovascular ailments, but that’s not all.

According to a recent study, a diet rich in omega 6 would contribute to the increase of stress and anxiety . Dr Trevitt who conducted it pointed out that the stress and anxiety levels of the mice that ate a diet high in omega-6 fats like the standard Western one were alarming , and there is an absolute need to regulate stress instead if you want to stay. healthy and live long.

So next time you think you want or need to supplement your diet with seeds and nuts to get your fill of omega 6 , know you don’t need it at all. And if you think using margarines and vegetable seed oils is better than a little raw butter, maybe you need to think again.