title: The omega-6/omega-3 fatty acid ratio, genetic variation, and cardiovascular disease.
abstract: A high omega-6/omega-3 ratio, as is found in today's Western diets, promotes the pathogenesis of many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease. Increased dietary intake of linoleic acid (LA) leads to oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), platelet aggregation, and interferes with the incorporation of essential fatty acids (EFA) in cell membrane phopholipids. Both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids influence gene expression. Omega-3 fatty acids have strong anti-inflammatory effects, suppress interleukin 1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), whereas omega-6 fatty acids tend to be pro-inflammatory. Because inflammation is at the base of many chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids plays an important role in the manifestation of disease, particularly in persons with genetic variation, as for example in individuals with genetic variants at the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO). Increased dietary arachidonic acid (AA) significantly enhances the apparent atherogenic effect of genotype, whereas increased dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) blunts this effect. The diet-gene interaction further suggests that dietary omega-6 fatty acids promote, whereas marine omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA inhibit leukotriene-mediated inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis in this subpopulation.
authors.affiliation: The Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health, 2001 S Street, NW, Suite 530, Washington, DC 20009 USA. cgnh@bellatlantic.net
authors.forename: Artemis P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Simopoulos
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6 / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000378:metabolism; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D043371:Fatty Acids, Omega-6