Omega 3-6-9 vs Omega-3: Why You Should Stop Taking Omega 3-6-9 Supplements

We all want to be healthy and to make sure we are getting the right nutrients. It's also fair to want the best value for the money we invest into our supplements.

Omega-3-6-9 supplements are often found alongside omega-3 at health food stores and pharmacies, but the difference between them isn't obvious.

As the name suggests, a 3-6-9 supplement is a combination of omega 3, 6 and 9, mixed together and sold as an "ideal ratio" or "complete spectrum" of omega fats.

As a consumer this can sound appealing. Why buy one when you can get all three for a similar price? But all is not what it seems. Here are four reasons these mixed supplements are best avoided.

What are omegas 3, 6 and 9?

Omegas 3, 6 and 9 are three families of fatty acids in our diet: omega-3 (alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA), omega-6 (linoleic acid, or LA) and omega-9 (oleic acid, or OA). The balance between them matters, so let's clear up the facts before we dispel any myths.

Omega-3 fatty acids

These are polyunsaturated fats, a kind of fat your body cannot make by itself. The term "polyunsaturated" refers to the chemical structure, where "poly" means many and "unsaturated" refers to the double bonds.

These fats are a crucial part of our cell membranes, and are found in high concentrations in tissues such as the brain, eyes and heart.

Omega-6 fatty acids

Omega-6 fats (linoleic acid) are also polyunsaturated fatty acids, but the last double bond is six carbons from the omega end of the molecule.

Linoleic acid is an essential fat that the body uses in a number of ways.

Omega-9 fatty acids

Omega-9 fatty acids (oleic acid) are monounsaturated, which means they have one double bond, located nine carbons from the omega end of the molecule.

They aren't technically essential, because the body can make omega-9s itself, and they are common in foods like olive oil, sunflower oil, avocado and soy.

What is omega 3-6-9 good for?

Each of the three fats has a job:

Omega-3. DHA contributes to normal brain function and vision, and EPA and DHA help your heart work normally. [5] ALA, the plant omega-3, helps keep blood cholesterol normal. [5]

Omega-6. Linoleic acid, the main omega-6, helps keep blood cholesterol normal too. [5]

Omega-9. Swapping saturated fats for unsaturated ones helps keep blood cholesterol normal, and oleic acid, the main omega-9, is an unsaturated fat. [5]

So none of them are useless. The catch is that you're very likely getting plenty of omega-6 and omega-9 from everyday food already. The fats most of us are short of are the marine omega-3s, DHA and EPA, and that's the part a 3-6-9 blend tends to skimp on.

4 reasons to avoid omega 3-6-9 supplements

1. You're probably already getting enough omega-6

Omega-6 is an essential fat in the diet, but it's so common that very few people are deficient in it. The modern diet contains plenty of omega-6, and even people on restricted diets such as vegetarians and vegans can easily get more than enough.

It's abundant in vegetable oils, nuts, cereals, bread, dairy, eggs and meat. Rather than being short of it, most of us are eating far too much, which brings us to the second reason to avoid 3-6-9 supplements.

2. Too much omega-6 can be bad for you

If omega-6 is essential, then surely more is better, right? Not quite.

The human body is built to handle a ratio of around 1:1 omega-3 to omega-6. In reality the average person is closer to 1:20, meaning we eat up to 20 times the omega-6 the body evolved to process.

That imbalance is important because of inflammation. Many aspects of modern life cause inflammation within the body: poor diet, too little movement, pollution and constant stress can all promote it. [6] And chronic inflammation if often associated with a long list of modern health struggles, including inflammatory bowel disease, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disease and cancer. [7] It might not be the direct cause of all of them, but it can make them worse.

Your body switches inflammation off using molecules it makes from omega-3 EPA and DHA. EPA becomes a family called the E-series resolvins, and DHA becomes the D-series resolvins, protectins and maresins. They act as stop signals, and they help the clean-up cells clear away the debris, so the inflammation winds down instead of dragging on. [8] Trials have shown that when people take more omega-3, their inflammation levels drop. [9]

Omega-6 can get in the way of this anti-inflammatory process. Omega-3 and omega-6 are very similar in chemical structure and compete for the same enzymes. So with a diet in which we already consume 20 times the amount of omega-6 we should be, the omega-3 is "starved" of the enzymes needed to produce the inflammation-resolving molecules. [10]

This means that taking an omega 3-6-9 supplement would make the problem worse by adding even more omega-6. Our money is better spent rebalancing the ratio and getting closer to 1:1.

The way to do that is to increase omega-3 while eating less omega-6.

3. You don't need omega-9 in a supplement

Omegas 3 and 6 are considered "essential" because the body cannot make them, so they must come from the diet.

Omega-9 is not essential, because the body can make it from other nutrients, and it's easy to get from foods such as olive oil, sunflower oil, avocado and soy.

So if omega-9 is made by the body and common in food, what's the point of taking it? In a supplement, omega-9 is usually nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

4. There's rarely enough useful omega-3

In a 3-6-9, the omega-3 is the part that's hardest to get elsewhere, particularly for people who don't eat much oily fish.

Unfortunately, 3-6-9 supplements are often crammed with the cheaper omega-6 and omega-9 oils and only a little omega-3. On top of that, the omega-3 is usually in the form of ALA from seeds, which is the least useful type.

ALA isn't very useful on its own, because the body cannot use it directly. It has to be converted into DHA and EPA, which are the forms the body uses directly.

There are others, such as DPA and SDA, but these three are the ones that matter in your diet. We explain how they differ in ALA, EPA and DHA: what's the difference?

So next time you're in a health food store, check the label of a 3-6-9 supplement. You'll usually find mostly omega-6, omega-9 and omega-3 ALA, with little to no DHA, the form we actually need (guidance suggests a minimum of around 250 mg of DHA and EPA a day).

The better option is a high-quality algae-based omega-3 supplement like ours.

Does omega 3-6-9 have side effects?

Side effects from omega-3 supplements are uncommon and usually mild. [11] A few things are worth knowing before you start one, though:

• If you take a blood thinner such as warfarin, high doses of omega-3 may cause bleeding problems. [11] Check with your GP or pharmacist first, and do the same if you take any regular medication.
• If you're pregnant or trying for a baby, check the label for fish liver oil, such as cod liver oil. It's high in vitamin A, which can harm an unborn baby, and the NHS advises avoiding it. [12]
• If your 3-6-9 is made with fish oil, it can carry traces of pollutants from the sea. A UK survey of 33 fish oil supplements in the early 2000s found 12 would have breached the dioxin limit brought in shortly afterwards. [13] Algae oil sidesteps that, because it's grown in closed tanks rather than taken from the sea.

The bigger drawback of a 3-6-9 is what's in it: more omega-6, added to a diet that probably has plenty, where it can get in the way of what omega-3 does.

How can vegans & vegetarians get omega-3?

If you already eat a varied and balanced plant-based or vegan diet, you are most likely getting enough omega-6 and omega-9 already.

You'll get these fatty acids from foods such as hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, soya spread and almost any vegetable oil.

Omega-6 is also common in many processed foods, so you don't need to worry about being short of it.

As with meat-eaters, though, plant-based eaters are more likely to be missing omega-3, which is far harder to get than omega-6 or omega-9.

The three most important omega-3 fats are ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). This is where it gets a little more complicated for vegans and vegetarians.

Why do vegans and vegetarians often have lower DHA?

A plant-based diet is usually high in ALA, because seeds, nuts and oils are high in it.

Those foods contain almost no EPA or DHA, though. Only oily fish and other seafood contain significant amounts. The body can convert some ALA into EPA and DHA, but research shows this is very limited, and plant-based eaters generally have lower levels of EPA and DHA than people who eat a lot of oily fish.

That doesn't mean oily fish is the only way to get omega-3 DHA. Omega-3 is originally made by algae in the ocean, which fish and small crustaceans feed on. It's by eating this algae that fish become a source of omega-3 in the first place.

That's good news if you don't eat much oily fish, because it means you can get omega-3 straight from the algae source.

We compare the two head to head in algae oil vs fish oil.

The easiest way to add clean, plant-based DHA to your diet is an algae-based omega-3 supplement.

The bottom line: take omega-3, not 3-6-9

For most people, a dedicated omega-3 is the better choice than a 3-6-9 blend. You already get plenty of omega-6 and omega-9 from food; the gap worth closing is omega-3, and specifically DHA and EPA.

The simplest approach is more marine omega-3 (as DHA) and less omega-6, by eating fewer processed foods and vegetable oils. That brings your omega fats back into balance.

If you don't eat much oily fish, getting enough omega-3 can be a challenge. That's where our algae-based omega-3 supplement is a simple, convenient option.