Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Ten weeks of supplementation with either linoleic or omega 3 diets significantly altered the ratio of linoleic acid to omega-3 DHA of the intervention groups compared to control; however, did not impact mood or emotional states of all three participating groups.
Author Michael Pollan has said that “our diet has changed more in the last fifty years than in the previous ten thousand” 1. Part of this change can be attributed to our consumption of fats, namely an explosion in omega-6 and decrease in Omega-3 fatty acid consumption. Specifically, soybean oil consumption has increased by a factor of 1,000 between 1909 and 1999, which has contributed to a tripled intake of an omega-6 fatty acid called linoleic acid 2.
Omega-6 fats increase inflammation and blood clotting, both of which increase risk of cardiovascular disease and heart disease 3,4, while omega-3 fatty acids decrease overall inflammation in the body, thin the blood and decrease risk for cardiovascular 5,6 and heart disease 7,8 as well as psychiatric and neurological disorders 9,10. Research has suggested that the increase in dietary omega-6 oils has decreased the levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the body by as much as 54% 2.
The ability of omega-3 fatty acids to help with psychiatric issues has been an area of interest, especially in the military. A 2011 study 11 demonstrating a negative correlation between increased suicide risk among active –duty military personnel and decreased blood levels of Omega 3 DHA (prevalent in the brain), spurred interest in the potential benefit of higher dietary omega 3 levels to the mental health of military personnel.
In a 2017 study 12, 71 military personnel (37 men, 34 women) between the ages of 21 and 32 were divided into one of three groups for ten weeks:
- Control group (23 personnel) consumed a diet based on the standard US Military 28-day Garrison Dining Facility Menu 13. This group consumed an average of 2,005 calories per day with 22.8% of their calories derived from omega-6 fatty acids and 2.8% from omega-3 fats.
- Moderate group (25 personnel) consumed a diet were foods high in omega-6 fats and low in omega-3 fats (chicken, egg, oil foods) were replaced with foods “specially produced to have lower proportion of omega-6 and higher omega-3 fatty acids.” This group consumed an average of 1,977 calories per day with 8.1% of their calories derived from omega-6 fatty acids and 2.9% from omega-3 fats.
- High group (23 personnel) consumed the same diet as the moderate group but also consumed a smoothie containing 1,000 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids per 200 milliliters of smoothie. The other two groups consumed a placebo smoothie. This group consumed an average of 2,027 calories per day with 8.4% of their calories derived from omega-6 fatty acids and 3.9% from omega-3 fats.
After 10 weeks, the following results were seen for blood levels of the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid and the omega-3 fatty acid DHA:
| Control | p - value | Moderate group | p - value | High group | p- value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linoleic acid | 7.5% increase (2640 to 2840) | > 0.05 | 4.7% decrease (2609 to 2488) | < 0.05 | 17% decrease (2764 to 2296) | < 0.05 |
| DHA | 16.2% increase (99 to 115) | > 0.05 | 132% increase (97 to 225) | < 0.05 | 180% increase (100 to 280) | < 0.05 |
No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were seen between the three groups regarding mood and emotional state, to which the researchers responded that “our participants were all healthy, not suffering any illnesses that might be impacted by changes in omega-3 fatty acid status, and the intervention only lasted for 10 weeks” and that “Future studies should investigate whether different patient populations at higher risk of for cardiovascular, psychiatric or neuroinflammatory disorders would exhibit more pronounced clinical effects with long duration dietary interventions.”
They went on to conclude that “The modest dietary adjustments are well accepted by diners, and are feasible for implementation in group feeding settings such as military dining facilities and other types of cafeterias, with little added cost.”
Source: Young, Andrew J., Bernadette P. Marriott, Catherine M. Champagne, Michael R. Hawes, Scott J. Montain, Neil M. Johannsen, Kevin Berry, and Joseph R. Hibbeln. “Blood fatty acid changes in healthy young Americans in response to a 10-week diet that increased n-3 and reduced n-6 fatty acid consumption: a randomised controlled trial.” British Journal of Nutrition (2017): 1-13.
© The Authors 2017
Posted July 5, 2017.
Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY. You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.
References:
- Pollan M. The omnivore’s dilemma: A natural history of four meals. Penguin; 2006.
- Blasbalg TL, Hibbeln JR, Ramsden CE, Majchrzak SF, Rawlings RR. Changes in consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in the United States during the 20th century. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2011;93(5):950-962.
- Ramsden CE, Zamora D, Leelarthaepin B, et al. Use of dietary linoleic acid for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and death: evaluation of recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study and updated meta-analysis. Bmj. 2013;346:e8707.
- Ramsden CE, Zamora D, Majchrzak-Hong S, et al. Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73). bmj. 2016;353:i1246.
- Harris WS, Kris-Etherton PM, Harris KA. Intakes of long-chain omega-3 fatty acid associated with reduced risk for death from coronary heart disease in healthy adults. Current atherosclerosis reports. 2008;10(6):503-509.
- Lavie CJ, Milani RV, Mehra MR, Ventura HO. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and cardiovascular diseases. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2009;54(7):585-594.
- Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Belury MA, Andridge R, Malarkey WB, Glaser R. Omega-3 supplementation lowers inflammation and anxiety in medical students: a randomized controlled trial. Brain, behavior, and immunity. 2011;25(8):1725-1734.
- Ferguson JF, Mulvey CK, Patel PN, et al. Omega‐3 PUFA supplementation and the response to evoked endotoxemia in healthy volunteers. Molecular nutrition & food research. 2014;58(3):601-613.
- Hallahan B, Hibbeln JR, Davis JM, Garland MR. Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in patients with recurrent self-harm. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 2007;190(2):118-122.
- McNamara RK, Able J, Jandacek R, et al. Docosahexaenoic acid supplementation increases prefrontal cortex activation during sustained attention in healthy boys: a placebo-controlled, dose-ranging, functional magnetic resonance imaging study. The American journal of clinical nutrition. 2010;91(4):1060-1067.
- Lewis MD, Hibbeln JR, Johnson JE, Lin YH, Hyun DY, Loewke JD. Suicide deaths of active duty US military and omega-3 fatty acid status: a case control comparison. The Journal of clinical psychiatry. 2011;72(12):1585.
- Young AJ, Marriott BP, Champagne CM, et al. Blood fatty acid changes in healthy young Americans in response to a 10-week diet that increased n-3 and reduced n-6 fatty acid consumption: a randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition. 2017:1-13.
- Excellence JCCo. U.S, Military 28-Day Garrison Dining Menu. 2016.
