Heart Association Recommends Daily Intake of Omega-6 Fatty Acids

By Kristina Fiore, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: January 26, 2009 Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor  University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

VERMILLION, S.D., Jan. 26 -- At least 5% to 10% of daily caloric intake should come from omega-6 fatty acids, according to an American Heart Association science advisory that emerged from a literature review.  Consumption of this level of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids was associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, William S. Harris, Ph.D., of the University of South Dakota, and colleagues reported in the advisory, published in the Feb. 17 issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.  "Aggregate data from randomized trials, case-control and cohort studies, and long-term animal feeding experiments indicate that the consumption of at least 5% to 10% of energy from omega-6 fatty acids reduces the risk of coronary heart disease relative/.../