Guest guest Posted March 14, 2004 Report Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 15, 2004 Report Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 16, 2004 Report Share 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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