Omega-3 fats may prevent violence
Majority of us are consuming omega-6 and omega-3 fats in the ratio of around 16:1, whereas it should be in the range of 4:1 to 1:4, that is, 4 parts of omega-6 to 1 part of omega-3 or 1 part of omega-6 to 4 parts of omega-3; instead of 16 parts of omega-6 to 1 part of omega-3 fats.
According to Dr Stephan Guyenet, who has done a lot of research on non-industrial populations, typical Omega-6:Omega-3 ratios ranges from 4:1 to 1:4.
Our ancestors, millions of years ago, who were hunter-gatherers ate mostly land animals and had a ratio of 2:1 to 4:1.
The Inuit, on the other hand, who ate mostly seafoods rich in omega-3, had a ratio of 1:4.
All of these populations were in excellent health and didn’t suffer from the chronic diseases (asthma, coronary heart disease, many forms of cancer, autoimmunity and neurodegenerative diseases, all of which are believed to stem from inflammation in the body) that are currently killing people worldwide by the millions.
It is interesting to note that none of these populations (the hunter-gatherers or the Inuit) were eating a lot of Omega-6.
Hence, it is probably a bad idea to eat lots of Omega-6, and then a whole lot of omega-3 to compensate.
Ideally, having a relatively low, balanced amount of each is the best approach.
The ratio today is 16:1, much higher than what we are genetically adapted to.
Most North Americans and Europeans now get far too much of the omega-6s and not enough of the omega-3s, with soybean oil currently being the biggest source of omega-6 fatty acids in the USA.
The imbalance between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may also contribute to obesity, depression, dyslexia, hyperactivity and even a tendency toward violence.
Bringing the fats into proper proportion may actually relieve those conditions, according to Joseph Hibbeln, M.D., a psychiatrist at the National Institutes of Health, and perhaps the world’s leading authority on the relationship between fat consumption and mental health.
At the 2006 Nutrition and Health Conference sponsored by the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine and Columbia University’s College of Physicians and Surgeons, Dr. Hibbeln cited a study showing that violence in a British prison dropped by 37 percent after omega-3 oils and vitamins were added to the prisoners’ diets.
It appears that a lot of violence in the world may be curbed if people ate foods to maintain the right ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fats!
