Omega-6 Fatty Acid

From SourceWatch
(Redirected from Omega-6 Fatty Acids)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Omega-6 Fatty Acids (Omega-6s) are polyunsaturated fats with a double bond at the sixth carbon atom from the end of the carbon chain. As omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet, the term "omega-6" denotes the double bond occurring six carbons from the end.

Types of Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Fats are categorized by the number of carbons in them, the number of double bonds, and the placement of the double bonds in their chemical structures. Omega-6s are notated as "n-6."

The following are all omega-6s:

Ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 Fatty Acids

A 2013 study by Washington State University research Charles Benbrook (who is also on the Science Advisory Board of the Organic Center) and others found that "organic milk contained 25% less ω-6 fatty acids and 62% more ω-3 fatty acids than conventional milk, yielding a 2.5-fold higher ω-6/ω-3 ratio in conventional compared to organic milk (5.77 vs. 2.28)" and that "dairy products supply far more α-linolenic acid than seafoods, about one-third as much [[eicosapentaenoic acid, and slightly more docosapentaenoic acid, but negligible docosahexaenoic acid."[1]

Articles and Resources

Related SourceWatch Articles

External Resources

External Articles

References

  1. Charles Benbrook, Gillian Butler, Maged A. Latif, Carlo Leifert, and Donald R. Davis, Organic Production Enhances Milk Nutritional Quality by Shifting Fatty Acid Composition: A United States–Wide, 18-Month Study, PLoS ONE 8(12): e82429, December 9, 2013.