Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids � A Quick Explanation

If you are confused about the difference between Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, you are not alone. Many health-oriented folks are aware that we need these fatty acids, but don't know the role that each plays in the body ... or how much of each we need.

So here's a quick explanation that might help: Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids both fall in the category called Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs), which are fatty acids that our bodies need but which our bodies cannot produce. That means that we have to get EFAs from the foods and supplements we eat.

Getting Omega-6 fatty acids from the foods we eat is relatively simple. Seeds and nuts, plus oils refined from these seeds and nuts, all contain Omega-6 fatty acids. In fact, we tend to get too many Omega-6's from our regular diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, are much less available. These fatty acids can be found in blue-green algae, and coldwater fish such as salmon and sardines. This means we tend to get too few Omega-3's in our diets.

The imbalance of too many Omega-6 fatty acids and too few Omega-3 fatty acids leads to problems. Why? Because hormones generated from Omega-6's tend to cause inflammation in the body, clotting of the blood, and cell proliferation. The Omega-3 fatty acids have the opposite effect. When we get equal amounts of both types of fatty acids, our bodies stay healthy. But the modern diet gives us way too many Omega-6's and too few Omega-3's.

The solution? Eat more fish. A simpler solution is to add AFA blue-green algae to your diet. Each algae cell contains 4.1 mg of Omega-3 fatty acids and only 0.9 mg of Omega-6 fatty acids. Thus taking blue-green algae can help rebalance these fats in your system.

This balance is important since inflammation from too much Omega-6 can lead to chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, asthma, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases

Learn more about AFA blue-green algae here.

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