Guest guest Posted March 14, 2004 Report Posted March 14, 2004 >>>Why are all the omega oils in multiples of 3? I note we have omega 3, 6, and 9, but not omega 2, 4, and 8. What do the numbers refer to? Inquiring minds want to know! <<< Hello Andrea Beth, Fatty acids are named according to the placement of their double bonds along the carbon chain. Omega-3 fatty acids are named this way because their first double bond occurs on the third carbon when counting from the methyl end of the chain, omega-6 on the 6th, etc. The chain length may vary from 4-30 carbon atoms. Currently, as Paul detailed in his most informative post, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is about 18 : 1, the hunter and gatherer's diet is estimated to have been a more balanced 5 : 1. BTW, omega-9 fatty acid, or oleic acid, is the primary mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) found in olive oil, etc., and yes, there are others, like omega-7 found in tropical oils, but neither are considered essential. Hope that clarifies it a bit. Daniel C. Luthi Nutritionist Quote
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2004 Report Posted March 15, 2004 Thank you for the explanation, Daniel. I appreciate it! Andrea Beth Daniel <solothurner wrote: >>>Why are all the omega oils in multiples of 3? I note we have omega 3, 6, and 9, but not omega 2, 4, and 8. What do the numbers refer to? Inquiring minds want to know! <<< Hello Andrea Beth, Fatty acids are named according to the placement of their double bonds along the carbon chain. Omega-3 fatty acids are named this way because their first double bond occurs on the third carbon when counting from the methyl end of the chain, omega-6 on the 6th, etc. The chain length may vary from 4-30 carbon atoms. Currently, as Paul detailed in his most informative post, the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is about 18 : 1, the hunter and gatherer's diet is estimated to have been a more balanced 5 : 1. BTW, omega-9 fatty acid, or oleic acid, is the primary mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) found in olive oil, etc., and yes, there are others, like omega-7 found in tropical oils, but neither are considered essential. Hope that clarifies it a bit. Daniel C. Luthi Nutritionist Chinese Herbal Medicine offers various professional services, including board approved continuing education classes, an annual conference and a free discussion forum in Chinese Herbal Medicine. Quote
Guest guest Posted March 16, 2004 Report Posted March 16, 2004 Hi Andrea Beth, A great and readable text that addresses this subject in detail is " Fats that Heal Fats that Kill " by Udo Erasmus. Yehuda On Mon, 15 Mar 2004 16:04:45 -0800 (PST) < writes: > Thank you for the explanation, Daniel. I appreciate it! > > Andrea Beth > > Daniel <solothurner wrote: > >>>Why are all the omega oils in multiples of 3? I note we have > omega > 3, 6, and 9, but not omega 2, 4, and 8. What do the numbers refer > to? > Inquiring minds want to know! > > <<< > > > Hello Andrea Beth, > > Fatty acids are named according to the placement of their double > bonds > along the carbon chain. Omega-3 fatty acids are named this way > because > their first double bond occurs on the third carbon when counting > from > the methyl end of the chain, omega-6 on the 6th, etc. The chain > length > may vary from 4-30 carbon atoms. > Currently, as Paul detailed in his most informative post, the ratio > of > omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids is about 18 : 1, the hunter and > gatherer's diet is estimated to have been a more balanced 5 : 1. > BTW, omega-9 fatty acid, or oleic acid, is the primary > mono-unsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) found in olive oil, etc., and > yes, > there are others, like omega-7 found in tropical oils, but neither > are > considered essential. > > Hope that clarifies it a bit. > > Daniel C. Luthi > Nutritionist > > > > > > Chinese Herbal Medicine offers various professional services, > including board approved continuing education classes, an annual > conference and a free discussion forum in Chinese Herbal Medicine. > > > > > > > > Quote
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