Omega-6 fatty acid

The American Heart Association "supports an omega-6 PUFA intake of at least 5% to 10% of energy in the context of other AHA lifestyle and dietary recommendations. To reduce omega-6 PUFA intakes from their current levels would be more likely to increase than to decrease risk for coronary heart disease."

A 2018 review found that an increased intake of omega−6 fatty acids reduces total serum cholesterol and may reduce myocardial infarction (heart attack), but found no significant change in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.{{cite journal |vauthors=Hooper L, Al-Khudairy L, Abdelhamid AS, Rees K, Brainard JS, Brown TJ, Ajabnoor SM, O'Brien AT, Winstanley LE, Donaldson DH, Song F, Deane KH |year=2018 |title=Omega-6 fats for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |volume=2018 |issue=11 |at=CD011094 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD011094.pub4 |pmid=30488422 |pmc=6516799 }} A 2021 review found that omega−6 supplements do not affect the risk of CVD morbidity and mortality.{{cite journal |vauthors=Mazidi M, Shekoohi N, Katsiki N, Banach M |year=2021 |title=Omega-6 fatty acids and the risk of cardiovascular disease: insights from a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials and a Mendelian randomization study |journal=Archives of Medical Science |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=466–479 |doi=10.5114/aoms/136070 |pmid=35316920|pmc=8924827 }}

A 2023 review found that omega−6 polyunsaturated fatty acids are associated with lower risk of high blood pressure.{{cite journal|author=Hajihashemi P, Feizi A, Heidari Z, Haghighatdoost F.|year=2023|title=Association of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids with blood pressure: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies|journal=Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10408398.2021.1973364|volume=63|issue=14|pages=2247–2259| doi=10.1080/10408398.2021.1973364|pmid=36939291|url-access=subscription}} Omega−6 fatty acids are not associated with atrial fibrillation.{{cite journal|author=Garg PK, Guan W, Nomura S, Weir NL, Tintle N, Virtanen JK, Hirakawa Y, Qian F, Sun Q, Rimm E, Lemaitre RN, Jensen PN, Heckbert SR, Imamura F, Steur M, Leander K, Laguzzi F, Voortman T, Ninomiya T, Mozaffarian D, Harris WS, Siscovick DS, Tsai MY|year=2023|title=Fatty Acids and Outcomes Research Consortium (FORCE). n-6 fatty acid biomarkers and incident atrial fibrillation: an individual participant-level pooled analysis of 11 international prospective studies.|journal=The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition|volume=118|issue=5|pages=921–929|doi=10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.09.008|pmid= 37769813}}

A review and meta-analysis of observational studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that higher intakes of omega-6 are associated with a 9% reduced risk of all-cause mortality and a 31% increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.{{Cite book |last=DE SOUZA |first=Russell |title=Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Intake and Risk of All-Cause Mortality, Cardiovascular Disease, Breast Cancer, Mental Health, and Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies |date=2022 |publisher=World Health Organization |others=Michael A. ZULYNIAK, Mina KAZEMI, Rahim ALI, Rachel BIERBRIER, Natalie WILLIAMS, Rosain STENNETT, Laura BANFIELD |isbn=978-92-4-006164-4 |edition=1st |location=Geneva |url=https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/365671/9789240061644-eng.pdf}} The increased risk of breast cancer has not been confirmed in randomized controlled trials.{{cite journal|author=Hanson S, Thorpe G, Winstanley L, Abdelhamid AS, Hooper L|year=2020|title=Omega-3, omega-6 and total dietary polyunsaturated fat on cancer incidence: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials|journal=Br J Cancer|volume=122|issue=8|pages=1260–1270|doi=10.1038/s41416-020-0761-6|pmid=32114592 |pmc=7156752}}

A scoping review for Nordic Nutrition Recommendations 2023 found that partial replacement of saturated fatty acid with omega-6 fatty acid decreases risk of cardiovascular disease and improves the blood lipid profile. A 2025 meta-analysis of 150 cohorts and meta-regression found that higher dietary intake and circulating levels of omega-6 fatty acids are associated with a lowered risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and all-cause mortality.{{cite journal |vauthors=Sadeghi, R, Norouzzadeh, M, HasanRashedi, M|date=2025 |title=Dietary and circulating omega-6 fatty acids and their impact on cardiovascular disease, cancer risk, and mortality: a global meta-analysis of 150 cohorts and meta-regression |journal=Journal of Translational Medicine |volume=23 |issue= |pages=314 |doi=10.1186/s12967-025-06336-2 |doi-access=free |pmc=11899657 |pmid=}}

Dietary sources of omega−6 fatty acids include:{{cite web

| title = Food sources of total omega 6 fatty acids

| url = http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table2.html

| access-date = 2011-09-04

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111007012342/http://riskfactor.cancer.gov/diet/foodsources/fatty_acids/table2.html

| archive-date = 2011-10-07

| url-status = dead

}}

• poultry
• eggs
• nuts
• hulled sesame seeds
• cereals
• durum wheat
• whole-grain breads
• pumpkin seeds
• hemp seeds

Vegetable oils are a major source of omega−6 linoleic acid. Worldwide, more than 100 million metric tons of vegetable oils are extracted annually from palm fruits, soybean seeds, grape seeds, and sunflower seeds, providing more than 32 million metric tons of omega−6 linoleic acid and 4 million metric tons of omega−3 alpha-linolenic acid.{{cite journal |last1=Gunstone |first1=Frank |date=December 2007 |title=Market update: Palm oil |journal=International News on Fats, Oils and Related Materials |volume=18 |issue=12 |pages=835–36 |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1421893231.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130403202146/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1421893231.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2013-04-03}}{{Cite journal

| journal=Oilseeds: World Market and Trade

| issue=January 2009

| title=Soybean Oil Prices Suddenly Diverge from Energy Market

| url=http://www.fas.usda.gov/oilseeds/circular/2009/January/Oilseedsfull0109.pdf

| id=FOP 1-09

| date=2009-01-12

| publisher=USDA

| access-date=2019-08-09

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130309135414/http://@fas.usda.gov/oilseeds/circular/2009/January/Oilseedsfull0109.pdf

| archive-date=2013-03-09

| url-status=dead

}}, Table 03: Major Vegetable Oils: World Supply and Distribution at [http://www.fas.usda.gov/oilseeds/circular/Current.asp Oilseeds: World Markets and Trade Monthly Circular] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018161150/http://www.fas.usda.gov/oilseeds/circular/Current.asp |date=2010-10-18 }}

{{Vegetable oils comparison}}

File:Comparison of dietary fat composition.svg

Image:LAnumbering.png of linoleic acid, a common omega−6 fatty acid found in many nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils.]]

The melting point of the fatty acids increases as the number of carbons in the chain increases.{{Cite web |date=2020-04-30 |title=Biochemical Properties of Lipids |url=https://themedicalbiochemistrypage.org/biochemistry-of-lipids/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=The Medical Biochemistry Page |language=en-US}}

{{Portal|Biology|Medicine}}

{{div col|colwidth=20em|small=yes}}

• Cattle feeding
• Essential fatty acid interactions
• Essential nutrients
• Inflammation
• Linolenic acid
• Lipid peroxidation
• Olive oil regulation and adulteration
• Omega−3 fatty acid
• Omega−7 fatty acid
• Omega−9 fatty acid
• Ratio of fatty acids in different foods
• Wheat germ oil

{{div col end}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book

|isbn=978-0-920470-38-1

|title=Fats That Heal, Fats That Kill

|first=Udo

|last=Erasmus

|edition=3rd

|location=Burnaby (BC)

|publisher=Alive Books |year=1993}}

{{Lipids}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omega-6 Fatty Acid}}

Category:Fatty acids

Category:Essential nutrients

Category:Treatment of bipolar disorder

Category:Alkenoic acids

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