An Increase in the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio Increases the Risk for Obesity

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Abstract

In the past three decades, total fat and saturated fat intake as a percentage of total calories has continuously decreased in Western diets, while the intake of omega-6 fatty acid increased and the omega-3 fatty acid decreased, resulting in a large increase in the omega-6/omega-3 ratio from 1:1 during evolution to 20:1 today or even higher. This change in the composition of fatty acids parallels a significant increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity. Experimental studies have suggested that omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids elicit divergent effects on body fat gain through mechanisms of adipogenesis, browning of adipose tissue, lipid homeostasis, brain-gut-adipose tissue axis, and most importantly systemic inflammation. Prospective studies clearly show an increase in the risk of obesity as the level of omega-6 fatty acids and the omega-6/omega-3 ratio increase in red blood cell (RBC) membrane phospholipids, whereas high omega-3 RBC membrane phospholipids decrease the risk of obesity. Recent studies in humans show that in addition to absolute amounts of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid intake, the omega-6/omega-3 ratio plays an important role in increasing the development of obesity via both AA eicosanoid metabolites and hyperactivity of the cannabinoid system, which can be reversed with increased intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). A balanced omega-6/omega-3 ratio is important for health and in the prevention and management of obesity.

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Omega-3 fatty acids in health and disease and in growth and development.

A. P. Simopoulos (1991)

Several sources of information suggest that man evolved on a diet with a ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids of approximately 1 whereas today this ratio is approximately 10:1 to 20-25:1, indicating that Western diets are deficient in omega 3 fatty acids compared with the diet on which humans evolved and their genetic patterns were established. Omega-3 fatty acids increase bleeding time; decrease platelet aggregation, blood viscosity, and fibrinogen; and increase erythrocyte deformability, thus decreasing the tendency to thrombus formation. In no clinical trial, including coronary artery graft surgery, has there been any evidence of increased blood loss due to ingestion of omega 3 fatty acids. Many studies show that the effects of omega 3 fatty acids on serum lipids depend on the type of patient and whether the amount of saturated fatty acids in the diet is held constant. In patients with hyperlipidemia, omega 3 fatty acids decrease low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol if the saturated fatty acid content is decreased, otherwise there is a slight increase, but at high doses (32 g) they lower LDL cholesterol; furthermore, they consistently lower serum triglycerides in normal subjects and in patients with hypertriglyceridemia whereas the effect on high-density lipoprotein (HDL) varies from no effect to slight increases. The discrepancies between animal and human studies most likely are due to differences between animal and human metabolism. In clinical trials eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the form of fish oils along with antirheumatic drugs improve joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis; have a beneficial effect in patients with ulcerative colitis; and in combination with drugs, improve the skin lesions, lower the hyperlipidemia from etretinates, and decrease the toxicity of cyclosporin in patients with psoriasis. In various animal models omega 3 fatty acids decrease the number and size of tumors and increase the time elapsed before appearance of tumors. Studies with nonhuman primates and human newborns indicate that DHA is essential for the normal functional development of the retina and brain, particularly in premature infants. Because omega 3 fatty acids are essential in growth and development throughout the life cycle, they should be included in the diets of all humans. Omega-3 and omega 6 fatty acids are not interconvertible in the human body and are important components of practically all cell membranes. Whereas cellular proteins are genetically determined, the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of cell membranes is to a great extent dependent on the dietary intake.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

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Efficacy and safety of the weight-loss drug rimonabant: a meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Robin Christensen, Pernelle Kruse Kristensen, Else Marie Bartels … (2007)

Since the prevalence of obesity continues to increase, there is a demand for effective and safe anti-obesity agents that can produce and maintain weight loss and improve comorbidity. We did a meta-analysis of all published randomised controlled trials to assess the efficacy and safety of the newly approved anti-obesity agent rimonabant. We searched The Cochrane database and Controlled Trials Register, Medline via Pubmed, Embase via WebSpirs, Web of Science, Scopus, and reference lists up to July, 2007. We collected data from four double-blind, randomised controlled trials (including 4105 participants) that compared 20 mg per day rimonabant with placebo. Patients given rimonabant had a 4.7 kg (95% CI 4.1-5.3 kg; p<0.0001) greater weight reduction after 1 year than did those given placebo. Rimonabant caused significantly more adverse events than did placebo (OR=1.4; p=0.0007; number needed to harm=25 individuals [95% CI 17-58]), and 1.4 times more serious adverse events (OR=1.4; p=0.03; number needed to harm=59 [27-830]). Patients given rimonabant were 2.5 times more likely to discontinue the treatment because of depressive mood disorders than were those given placebo (OR=2.5; p=0.01; number needed to harm=49 [19-316]). Furthermore, anxiety caused more patients to discontinue treatment in rimonabant groups than in placebo groups (OR=3.0; p=0.03; number needed to harm=166 [47-3716]). Our findings suggest that 20 mg per day rimonabant increases the risk of psychiatric adverse events--ie, depressed mood disorders and anxiety-despite depressed mood being an exclusion criterion in these trials. Taken together with the recent US Food and Drug Administration finding of increased risk of suicide during treatment with rimonabant, we recommend increased alertness by physicians to these potentially severe psychiatric adverse reactions.

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Paleolithic nutrition. A consideration of its nature and current implications.

S. Eaton, Melvin Konner (1985)

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Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): Nutrients

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): Nutrients

Journal ID (publisher-id): nutrients

Title: Nutrients

Publisher: MDPI

ISSN (Electronic): 2072-6643

Publication date (Electronic): 02 March 2016

Publication date Collection: March 2016

Volume: 8

Issue: 3

Electronic Location Identifier: 128

Affiliations

The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, 4330 Klingle Street NW, Washington, DC 20016, USA; cgnh@ 123456bellatlantic.net ; Tel.: +1-202-462-5062; Fax: +1-202-462-5241

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Publisher ID: nutrients-08-00128

DOI: 10.3390/nu8030128

PMC ID: 4808858

PubMed ID: 26950145

SO-VID: 3582c0d3-6bf6-4bb5-b10c-f92829639085

License:

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons by Attribution (CC-BY) license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

An Increase in the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio Increases the Risk for Obesity

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Karger: Nutrition and Dietetics

Most cited references 93

Omega-3 fatty acids in health and disease and in growth and development.

Efficacy and safety of the weight-loss drug rimonabant: a meta-analysis of randomised trials.

Paleolithic nutrition. A consideration of its nature and current implications.

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