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Anti-Inflammatory Drugs and Omega-3 Fats Work by Blocking Omega-6 Fat
When you have a headache, do you reach for aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin), or naproxen (Aleve)? These over-the-counter medications are known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They work by blocking the effects of the omega-6 fat arachidonic acid, which creates eicosanoids that trigger pain, fever, swelling, and cramping.
Sometimes, these over-the-counter drugs aren’t enough to combat inflammation, [...]
How Your Body’s Inner First-Aid Kit Became a Slow Weapon of Death
Your body’s inner fi rst-aid kit depends on a wide array of tools that include a powerful class of chemicals called eicosanoids (pronounced eye-CO-suh-noids). These potentially healing compounds are made from fat. Eicosanoids made from omega-6 fats promote inflammation. Omega-3-based eicosanoids have the opposite effect: dousing inflammation. It is a complicated contradiction—but in a way, [...]
The American Paradox: Institute of Medicine’s 2005 Recommendations
The Institute of Medicine (IOM), an American-based nonprofit organization that is part of the National Academy of Sciences, issues scientific recommendations on the amount of nutrients we should eat. The IOM’s most recent report, 2005’s Dietary Reference Intakes, did not suggest any guidelines to balance our omega-6 and omega-3 fats. The report has been criticized [...]
Benefits of Balancing the Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio
A clever study from Harvard Medical School showed dramatic results when a gene spliced into worms gave them the ability to make their own omega-3 fats. The worms began automatically producing a balanced fat ratio of 1-to-1 in their cells, with incredible benefits:
• Heart cells decreased susceptibility to irregular heartbeats.
• Cancer cells were naturally destroyed [...]
The Benefits of Balanced Diets Low in Omega-6 Fat
The significance of less omega-6 fat in the diet has been overshadowed (and even discounted) by the excitement over the benefits of omega-3 fats. However, two landmark studies—the Greenland Eskimo study and the Lyon Diet Heart Study—indicate its importance.
The Greenland Eskimos
In the 1980s, the Greenland Eskimos were discovered to have an unusually low rate of [...]
