Where Omega-6 is found: food list

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Now more and more often you can hear about the benefits of fatty acids. People who want to be he althy try not to consume animal fats, making a choice in favor of vegetable oil. When choosing foods for a diet, many find out where Omega-6 is found. Therefore, sometimes it turns out that even too much of these fatty acids enters the body. And despite the fact that they are very beneficial for he alth, their excess can lead to serious violations in the functioning of various organs.

The role of fats in the body

Women who want to lose weight often cut fat altogether. But this cannot be done, since these substances are necessary for the body. It is from the components of fats that the molecules that make up cell membranes are built. Therefore, with a lack of fat, cells cannot grow and exchange information.

Furthermore, fats are used for energy production. Not a single process in the body can do without them. Moreover, both vegetable and animal fats are needed. The only thing to avoid is trans fats,for example, margarine, as well as refined oils. Overcooked fats can also become harmful, because with a strong increase in temperature, their components decompose with the formation of carcinogens.

Fatty acid characterization

Of all the fats that enter the body with food, unsaturated ones are useful. There are a lot of them, but no more than two dozen are considered important for a person. All of them belong to the group of unsaturated fatty acids. These are Omega-9 monounsaturated acids, Omega-3 and Omega-6 polyunsaturated acids. Moreover, if the first can be produced by the body on its own, which is why their deficiency is never observed, all the rest come only with food. And since they are very important for the functioning of cells, every person needs to know where Omega-3 and Omega-6 are contained. This is necessary in order to include these products in the daily diet.

Omega-3s are docosahexaenoic, eicosapentaenoic and alpha-linoleic acids. They are involved in the work of the central nervous system, so their lack negatively affects he alth. Omega-6 is represented mainly by linoleic acid. It is used to produce other substances needed by the body, such as gamma-linolenic and arachidonic acids.

If polyunsaturated fatty acids enter the body in sufficient quantities, then mediators that transmit impulses from nerve cells are produced normally. These substances perform the following functions:

• responsible for the sensitivity of receptors;
• participate in the work of the circulatory, respiratory and nervous systems;
• stimulate smooth muscle processes;
• participate in metabolic processes.

The role of fatty acids

It is very important that the body maintains the correct balance of these substances. It is Omega-3s that stimulate the production of mediators for the transmission of nerve impulses. They are most abundant in fish oil, flaxseed oil, and walnuts. But you also need to know where Omega-6 is found. After all, these substances also have very important properties:

• improve the functioning of the nervous system;
• relieve premenstrual syndrome in women;
• reduce inflammation;
• purify the body of toxins;
• improve the condition of skin, hair and nails;
• participate in cell regeneration processes;
• normalize the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

What is harmful lack of these fats

Most often, people are deficient in Omega-3. Because of this, obesity develops, a person ages faster, often gets sick. But it may also be that linoleic acid also enters the body with food in insufficient quantities. This occurs with an unbalanced monotonous diet, frequent dieting, or in violation of lipid metabolism. The body also experiences an increased need for these fatty acids in the cold season, with various diseases and during pregnancy.

Then the followingsymptoms:

• skin condition worsens, eczema appears;
• hair falls out, their growth slows down;
• impaired liver function;
• nerve diseases occur;
• bones and joints suffer;
• immunity is reduced;
• reproductive function is disturbed.

Where Omega-6 is Found

The table of the ratio of the amount of fatty acids in the most common products is offered for study by people who want to take care of their he alth. Linoleic acid is good for the body, but it is most effective only when combined with omega-3s in the right ratio. If the balance of these acids is maintained, the body functions properly. You should try to choose those products that contain Omega-6 and Omega-3 in the correct ratio. They should enter the body, respectively, 8-10 and 0.8-1.6 grams per day.

The following foods are especially useful for maintaining the balance of fatty acids:

• linseed oil;
• chia seeds;
• flaxseeds;
• walnuts;
• raw beans;
• lettuce;
• fresh spinach;
• pumpkin;
• cauliflower;
• arugula.

They contain all polyunsaturated fatty acids. By including at least one of these foods in your daily diet, you can provide enough essential nutrients. To do this, you need to know Omega-6 - where is it found? A table that shows the approximate amount of this substance in products,will help figure it out. It is shown below.

Omega-6: Where it's Found Most

In order not to experience a lack of some nutrients, you need to monitor the balance of your diet. It is important that fats are present in the diet daily. It is especially necessary to pay attention to those foods that contain the most Omega-6. These could be:

• raw sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seeds;
• unrefined sunflower, corn, soybean, sesame and other vegetable oils;
• raw pine nuts, pistachios and peanuts;
• wheat, rye, oats, lentils, chickpeas;
• eggs and offal;
• avocado;
• sea fish.

In addition, there are nutritional supplements from which you can get enough linoleic acid. These are primrose oil, grape seed, blackcurrant, Spirulina and others. Such supplements are often used successfully for arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, disorders of the cardiovascular system.

But it's not enough to know what foods contain Omega-6, they still need to be consumed correctly. In order for fats to be well absorbed, foods should be cooked as little as possible. Food fried in oil is especially harmful. All oils are recommended to be added to cooked food immediately before consumption. And you need to make sure that they are cold-pressed and unrefined.

Why there may be an excessthese acids

This is most often due to changes in the food industry that have taken place in the last few decades. Grazing cattle on natural pastures becomes unprofitable, as well as catching fish in the sea. If they grow and eat naturally, then their meat is good for he alth, as it contains all the necessary nutrients. But now livestock and fish are grown on cheap feed rich in Omega-6. Therefore, modern meat and milk are rich in precisely these fatty acids, but Omega-3 is not in them.

In addition, all unhe althy prepared foods contain a large amount of fat. These are chips, french fries, sauces, pizza, sausages.

Why too much Omega-6 is bad

Modern craze for he althy eating, and especially attention to fats, leads to the fact that the diet of an ordinary person usually does not suffer from their deficiency. Omega-6 fatty acids are now especially ingested with food. Few people know where these substances are contained, but the food industry has taken care of this for consumers. Indeed, most livestock and fish farms grow products using special feeds rich in these fatty acids. Therefore, many people experience an overabundance of them.

This condition leads to constriction of blood vessels, increased blood pressure, poor immunity and frequent inflammatory diseases. People who frequently consume foods rich in omega-6 are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular and oncological diseases, they are fasterage, suffer from migraines, depression, arthritis or asthma. With an excess of linoleic acid, blood viscosity increases, blood clots may occur. And this happens because the balance of fatty acids is disturbed - there is not enough Omega-3. At the same time, the body begins to use linoleic acid for energy production and cell building.

How to maintain the right balance of fats

These substances must be supplied to the body not just like that, but in the correct ratio. The balance of Omega-6 and Omega-3 should be 2:1, in extreme cases - 6:1. But now in most people it is 10:1, but more often even 30:1, which leads to disruption of the functioning of many organs. Recently, a lack of omega-3 fatty acids has often been observed in a modern person. There are many of them in leafy greens, fresh fish and seafood, but only not grown, but living in natural conditions. Since a modern person consumes little of these products, the body switches to omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-9 where it is contained, rarely anyone is interested. After all, this group of fatty acids, even in the absence of them in food, can be synthesized by the body itself. And their shortage is observed mainly among vegetarians, as they are found in meat products, and from vegetables and fruits - only in avocados and olives, a little in almonds, rapeseed and sunflowers.