On Thu, 3 Dec 1998, Sandy Rzetelny wrote:

> Could you please explain what w-6 and w-3 are and what is afavorable ratio?
> Thanks

Sure, but a better place to learn is
http://www.teleport.com/~jor/#tff

This is the website for the Omega Plan, a diet book based on
these concepts.

The roman letter 'w' is a substitute for the Greek letter omega.
The w-6 and w-3 fats are polyunsaturated fats with certain
chemical structures.  They are called "essential" because our
bodies cannot make them, although they can convert one kind of
w-6 (or w-3) into another fat of the same kind.

These fats are needed for the production of certain hormonal
chemicals in the body called "eicosanoids."  These chemicals are
produced in tiny amounts and act as activators and inhibitors of
lots of different physiological processes.  For example, PGE2
(prostaglandin E-2) tends to activate inflammatory processes and
constriction of blood vessels.  PGE1 has the opposite effects.

Without going into detail, it turns out that the ratios of w-6 to
w-3 fats in the diet influence the ratios of kinds of eicosanoids
that are produced.  Or, to put it another way, the body "expects"
the ratio of w-6:w-3 fats to be within certain bounds.  If they
go out of those bounds, there are adverse health consequences.

Although estimates vary, it appears that the w-6:w-3 ratio should
be less than 10:1, and that is being liberal.  Some say that 4:1
is ideal.  These fats are found in various ratios in many
different foods, but here's the paleo angle: In certain vegetable
oils, such as corn oil and soybean oil, the ratio is very high --
on the order of 20:1.  As these oils are increasingly used in
food processing and as cattle are increasingly fattened on corn
and soybeans, these oils have entered the human diet in much
greater concentrations, skewing our own dietary ratio heavily
toward the w-6.  The theory behind the Omega Plan, and to a
considerable extent behind the Zone diet as well, is that this
skewing is a main cause of the diseases of the 20th century,
notably heart disease and cancer.

Todd Moody
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