I would like to respond to Robert's question regarding the ratio of
omega 6 fatty acids to omega 3 fatty acids in grasses.   Grasses are
members of the gramineae plant family  of which cereal grains are a
prominent member.   Grasses are composed of both leaves and seeds, and
the seeds (grains) of commonly consumed grasses (wheat, rye, barley,
oats, maize, millet, sorghum) form the staple food of virtually all of
the people on earth.
        Polyunsaturated fats are classified by the length of the fatty
acid carbon chain, by the number of double bonds and by the location of
the last double bond from the omega end of the fatty acid carbon chain.
Linoleic acid (a common fatty acid found in salad oils) is labeled
18:2n6 (that is, there are 18 carbon atoms forming the fatty acid chain;
there are 2 double bonds; and the terminal double bond is located 6
carbon atoms from the omega end of the fatty acid chain).   Alpha
linolenic acid is a common omega 3 (n3) fattty acid and is labeled
18:3n3 (there are 18 carbon atoms forming the fatty acid chain; there
are 3 double bonds and the last double bond is located 3 carbon atoms
from the omega end of the fatty acid chain).   There are other
polyunsaturated fats of both the n6 and n3 families with carbon lengths
greater than 18 (20, 22 primarily) which are mainly found in animal food
sources.   The 18 carbon fatty acids of both n6 and n3 families are
primarily, but not exclusively found in foods of plant origin.    The
ratio of dietary n6/n3 fatty acids has important human health
implications including the development of coronary heart disease, cancer
and autoimmune diseases.   The estimated n6/n3 ratio in modern western
diets is about 10-15:1, whereas in pre-agricultural diets, it has been
estimated to be from 2:1 to about 4:1.   The high n6/n3 ratio in western
diets stems  from the excessive consumption of vegetable oil based fats
(margarines, salad oils, etc) which have been incorporated into the food
supply since about 1913 and particularly after WWII.
        In my soon to be published manuscript on the deleterious effects
of cereal grains upon human health, we report the average n6/n3 ratio of
the 8 most commonly consumed cereal grains to be 21.6.    Thus, the
seeds of grasses are quite high in n6 fats, and extremely low in n3
fats.   The exact opposite situation is to be found in the leaves.
Salem (1) has shown the n6/n3 ratio to range from 0.09 to 0.12 in the
leaves of two grass species.    Because the leaves of grasses form a
much greater bulk of the entire plant, it would be expected that for a
foraging herbivore consuming the entire grass plant (grains and leaves),
the dietary n6/n3 ratio would quite likely be less than 1.   Since the
type of lipid an animal consumes is directly reflected in the type of
lipids in both storage and structural fat, then free ranging animals
consuming grasses will have lower n6/n3 ratios in their tissues compared
to feedlot animals consuming only the grains of grasses.   Humans
consuming the tissues of free ranging animals will also have lower n6/n3
ratios in their own tissues than compared to individuals consuming
feedlot animals which have been "finished" upon cereal grains.   The
consumption of free ranging animals is a very old human practice - the
consumption of feedlot fed animals is a relatively new practice, and
with obvious health ramifications.

                                REFERENCES

1.      Salem N.  Omega-3 fatty acids: molecular and biochemical
aspects.   In: New Protective Roles for Selected Nutrients.  GA Spiller,
J Scala (Eds).  Alan R. Liss, New York, 1989, p. 127.