Omega-3 is key to healthy fat - Diet - nutrition research - Brief Article

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Oct, 2002

Diets that contain high levels of omega-6 fats have been associated with chronic ailments, like heart disease, arteriosclerosis, diabetes, and inflammatory tissue disorders, such as certain types of arthritis. Balancing omega-6 fats with omega-3 fats in the diet, however, has been found to lessen these problems. Consequently, the American Heart Association recommends eating omega-3-rich fatty fish, such as sardines, salmon, and albacore tuna packed in water, two times per week. Yet, Bruce Watkins, director, Center for Enhancing Food to Protect Health, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., points out that you can find foods other than fish that also have healthy amounts of omega-3. Lean meat, fruits, and vegetables can contain it. "Now there are also omega-3-enriched eggs that you can buy in the supermarket."

In the future, more foods will be available with omega-3s added. Watkins is conducting an experiment of feeding algae that is high in omega-3s to dairy cattle to increase the amount of this good fat in their milk. "We collected the milk fat and made cheese, butter, and yogurt that has high levels of omega-3," he reports.

To reduce the amount of omega-6 in the diet, he advises limiting fatty meats and vegetable cooking oils. "Most of the margarine and vegetable spreads that we use have high levels of omega-6s. The cooking oils generally have high levels of omega-6, except canola and flaxseed oil. So, if you are concerned about the amount of fat in your diet, you shouldn't buy tuna fish packed in soybean oil, because the soybean oil would dilute the omega-3s in the tuna."