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When it comes to polyunsaturated fats, omega 3 is usually considered the good guy and omega 6 is considered the bad guy. But we need omega-6 fatty acids for our cells, for growth, for the proper development of our brain, to keep our brain healthy throughout our lives, and to maintain healthy bones, skin and hormonal balance.

So, why is it that omega-6 is often referred to as an inflammatory fatty acid? It has to do with the type of omega 6 we’re ingesting and the amount. There are different types of omega-6 fats, but the one that we need and that our body cannot make on its own, is linoleic acid or LA, found in multiple whole-plants like nuts, seeds, legumes and greens.

Our body converts linoleic acid into gamma-linolenic acid or GLA, which then turns into DGLA, a strong anti-inflammatory. But then, DGLA turns into arachidonic acid or AA, which is a pro-inflammatory when we have it in excess. Getting too much linoleic acid through seed and nut oils, or too much GLA through oils and supplements, or too much preformed GLA and AA from animal-based foods, leads to excessive AA, and therefor, it leads to inflammation. Some of its implications in our health include cardiovascular disease, hypertension, depression and arthritis.

When we get all our linoleic acid (LA) from whole plant foods, in moderation, we convert just the right amount into GLA, DGLA and AA, which our body needs for proper cell function. Scroll down to try our personalized nutrition calculator, to discover the top whole-food, plant-based sources of linoleic acid, to learn more about its benefits to our body, and to find more interesting facts.

Top Whole-Food, Plant-Based Sources

Hover over each food below to see how much omega 6 in the form of linoleic acid (LA) you can get with one serving. Click on each food’s picture to visit its interactive page with a personalized calculator of all the nutrition you can get from this food, more information about how it supports our body, tips to choose and prepare it, interesting facts, and more!

Almonds

Almonds

1/4 cup = 29% DV

Link
Pumpkin Seeds

Pumpkin Seeds

1/4 cup = 45% DV

Link
Avocado

Avocado

1 medium = 15% DV

Link
Chickpeas

Chickpeas

1 cup cooked = 12% DV

Link
Peanuts

Peanuts

1/4 cup = 38% DV

Link
Soybeans

Soybeans

Mature 1 c cooked = 51% DV | Edamame = 19% DV

Link
Sunflower Seeds

Sunflower Seeds

1/4 c = 54% DV

Link
Walnuts

Walnuts

1/4 c = 63% DV

Link

Omega 6 Personalized Calculator

Discover what the Adequate Intakes of linoleic acid are for you and your family, based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025.

Terminology:

  • Reference Intake (RI): This is an approximate amount of a particular nutrient needed for a healthy diet.
  • Adequate Intake (AI): Used when a Recommended Daly Allowance can’t be determined. It is an approximation of intake of a certain nutrient by a group or groups of healthy people. This AI takes into consideration age, gender, and whether a woman is pregnant, lactating or none.
  • Upper Intake Level (UL): The highest amount of nutrient intake that will not pose adverse health effects on most individuals.

Important Things to Know

Hover over each of the interesting facts below to flip the tiles and learn more details.

Check out the interesting facts below! Tap on the red triangles to flip the tiles and learn more details.

Are seed oils good or bad? Well… compared to what?

Studies like this one show that replacing butter with seed or nut oils lowers the risk of coronary heart disease. It does, because you are substituting saturated fats! So, that’s a great first step in the right direction. 

But here’s the thing, the excessive amounts of linoleic acid found in these oils lead to excessive arachidonic acid (AA) that turns into oxylipins which are highly inflammatory and can cause hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Learn more. This is one of the reasons why we should aim at eliminating added fats and oils completely.

See how this omega 3 to omega 6 ratio benefits us.

Humans used to eat at a ratio of 1:1 but lately the average ratio is 1:20, but the recommendation is to bring it down to somewhere between 1:2 and 1:4 and here’s why:

The enzymes in our body that help convert linoleic acid (LA) into GLA are the same that help convert plant-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) into EPA and DHA. Our body’s synthesis of these two omega 3s is usually low, in part because excessive linoleic acid is taking up these enzymes. So, eating in moderation gives ALA a chance to get more EPA and DHA synthesized.

ALA in plant-based sources prevents AA formation.

There’s another great reason to increase our omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) intake, while reducing our omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) intake. Turns out that ALA can inhibit the enzyme that turns arachidonic acid (AA) into inflammatory oxylipins. This study, for example, explains that eating flaxseeds helped reduce blood pressure in patients with hypertension, by inhibiting the oxylipins that were causing it.

Discover what nutrients help convert GLA into DGLA.

Our goal is to get as much of the linoleic acid we consume converted into GLA and then into anti-inflammatory DGLA. Turns out nutrients like magnesium, zinc, vitamin b3, vitamin b6, and vitamin c help promote this conversion.

Do not take GLA supplements or oils while pregnant.

Borage seed oil and potentially other GLA sources should be avoided during pregnancy because they may harm the baby and induce early labor.

EPA + DHA + GLA may improve ADHD symptoms.

While there is low evidence of symptom improvement with EPA + DHA supplements, alone, according to this trial review and this meta-analysis from 2023, adding GLA into the mix has shown promising results according to this narrative review from 2022.

GLA increases DGLA, which is an anti-inflammatory, while EPA and DHA limit our body’s accumulation of AA, the inflammatory Omega 6.

The ratio associated with ADHD improvements when combining EPA and DHA with GLA is 9:3:1.

Are seed oils good or bad? Well… compared to what?

Studies like this one show that replacing butter with seed or nut oils lowers the risk of coronary heart disease. It does, because you are substituting saturated fats! So, that’s a great first step in the right direction. 

But here’s the thing, the excessive amounts of linoleic acid found in these oils lead to excessive arachidonic acid (AA) that turns into oxylipins which are highly inflammatory and can cause hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Learn more. This is one of the reasons why we should aim at eliminating added fats and oils completely.

See how this omega 3 to omega 6 ratio benefits us.

Humans used to eat at a ratio of 1:1 but lately the average ratio is 1:20, but the recommendation is to bring it down to somewhere between 1:2 and 1:4 and here’s why:

The enzymes in our body that help convert linoleic acid (LA) into GLA are the same that help convert plant-based omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) into EPA and DHA. Our body’s synthesis of these two omega 3s is usually low, in part because excessive linoleic acid is taking up these enzymes. So, eating in moderation gives ALA a chance to get more EPA and DHA synthesized.

ALA in plant-based sources prevents AA formation.

There’s another great reason to increase our omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) intake, while reducing our omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) intake. Turns out that ALA can inhibit the enzyme that turns arachidonic acid (AA) into inflammatory oxylipins. This study, for example, explains that eating flaxseeds helped reduce blood pressure in patients with hypertension, by inhibiting the oxylipins that were causing it.

Discover what nutrients help convert GLA into DGLA.

Our goal is to get as much of the linoleic acid we consume converted into GLA and then into anti-inflammatory DGLA. Turns out nutrients like magnesium, zinc, vitamin b3, vitamin b6, and vitamin c help promote this conversion.

Do not take GLA supplements or oils while pregnant.

Borage seed oil and potentially other GLA sources should be avoided during pregnancy because they may harm the baby and induce early labor.

EPA + DHA + GLA may improve ADHD symptoms.

While there is low evidence of symptom improvement with EPA + DHA supplements, alone, according to this trial review and this meta-analysis from 2023, adding GLA into the mix has shown promising results according to this narrative review from 2022.

GLA increases DGLA, which is an anti-inflammatory, while EPA and DHA limit our body’s accumulation of AA, the inflammatory Omega 6.

The ratio associated with ADHD improvements when combining EPA and DHA with GLA is 9:3:1.

Comparison of Omega-6 Fatty Acids Sources

You may be wondering if LA from whole-food plants is enough or if you should supplement GLA or even allow some animal-based omega 6 into your diet. See below for a quick comparison of these three options.

Plant-Based
We can get all the linoleic acid we need through whole-food plants, since it’s present in seeds, nuts, legumes, greens, and more. Be sure to limit your intake of seed and nut oils because you could be getting to much linoleic acid that would end up as arachidonic acid or AA.
Supplements
GLA supplements are often marketed as anti-inflammatories, however, while GLA turns into anti-inflammatory DGLA, it also turns into inflammatory AA. How much we get of each depends on our individual genes, so while some people may benefit from taking these supplements, others may get the opposite effect. That being said, when the supplements combine GLA with EPA and DHA, the omega 3s limit the accumulation of AA in our body.
Animal-based
When we consume animal-based foods, we’re not just getting linoleic acid, we’re also getting their synthesized GLA and AA, thus leading to excessive AA in our body, which results in inflammation. The top contributors of preformed AA are chicken and eggs.

References