Why the Elderly Must Avoid Fatty Diets That are Rich in Omega 6 Fatty Acids

The importance of including fatty acids in your diet has been touted for quite some time now. Fatty acids have a lot of benefits for your body, especially omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids have profound rejuvenating effects on your body, especially when it comes to keeping your brain healthy. They also treat other age related issues from occurring, such as treating wrinkles, dry skin, age spots, etc. Omega-6 fatty acids which are found in fruits and vegetables helps to reduce your risk of obtaining heart disease, lower your total cholesterol levels (especially your “bad” LDL cholesterol levels), and reduce cancer risks. With these health benefits, it’s no wonder that we are encouraged to include these nutrients in our diets. But too much of a good thing can be bad for you, no matter what it is. Specifically, too much omega-6 in your diet can actually make you sick.

Why consuming too omega-6 fatty acids can be bad for your health

It may actually be inaccurate to say that you can consume too much omega-6 fatty acids. It is better to say that you can only consume so much omega-6 fatty acids as you have omega-3 fatty acids. A vegetable oil heavy diet consumes about 10-25 times more n-b fatty acids than a naturally occurring evolutionary diet. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids use the same resources. Too much omega-6 fatty acids can cause your body to experience inflammation and increase the speed of the aging process. That is why it is important to tamp down on your body’s production of omega- 6 fatty acids by increasing your consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. Both have a lot of health benefits for your body, but omega-6 can definitely harm you if you ingest too much.