Choosing your type of oil has become a big talking point in recent times. There are some who think ‘seed oils’ must be avoided, some who are suggesting that animal (saturated) fats should be favoured, and many opinions on the relative merits (or problems) with unsaturated fats such as Omega-3, Omega-6 or Omega-9. There is no definitive answer - as with all science the field of knowledge is evolving with every new study. However, there are some main conclusions that the consensus of people who have studied this field consider the ‘general opinion’, even with the acknowledgement that not everything is fixed or certain.

Saturated versus mono- or poly-unsaturated fats: 

It has long been suggested that saturated fats (such as those from common animal fats) can increase your cholesterol and that leads to higher incidence of health issues. For example, one recent meta-analysis of nineteen clinical studies including 1,013,273 participants (1) suggests that “the risk of cancer mortality increased by 4% for every 5% increase in energy from saturated fat”. Although there are some studies that contradict the consensus, the vast majority of analyses and studies still show that reducing your intake of saturated fats is good for your health (2). 

Types of unsaturated fats - the ‘Omegas’:

Again the vast majority of studies show that substituting unsaturated fats will lead to better health outcomes (3). This is commonly achieved by moving to oils from vegetable sources, including a range of oils from seeds. The three most researched types of unsaturated fats are ‘Omega 3, Omega-6 and Omega-9’ (4). All of these have been shown to help your health when eaten in suitable amounts i.e. all are anti-inflammatory at sensible intake levels. 

Omega 3 and Omega-6 are ‘essential oils’ i.e. they are not made in the body so must be eaten to maintain the levels you need. Omega-9 can be made in the body, but it is important to supplement your levels and to eat some. 

What about the balance of Omegas?

There is a debate about the best ratio or how much of each type of Omega oils you should eat. The best approach is to consider real clinical studies and overview of the many results (and not just opinions).

Omega-3s - these are almost universally viewed as ‘good for your health’ and most people do not eat enough from a balanced diet (5). They come from fish and some seeds - the best versions (EPA and DHA - the ‘super-Omega-3s’) are found in fish and seafood, and a ‘decent’ version (ALA) is found in some vegetable oils and nuts / seeds. Your body will convert ALA into the super-Omega-3s but only slowly and with moderate conversion rates. 

The Omega-3s have been shown to improve many health issues including reducing inflammation, help to maintain heart and joint health, and support your mood and emotional balance.   

Omega-6s -  the strongest (clinical trial) data show these to be mostly positive for your health when taken at moderate levels (6). There are some theories and lab-based studies that suggest pathways for Omega-6s to cause negative health outcomes e.g, as inflammatory agents, but these are not generally backed up by a wide range of solid clinical studies. So the jury’s still out and there’s no need to panic and try and cut out Omega-6s from your diet completely (7). It is worth noting that highly processed ‘fast’ food can have high levels of Omega-6 oils in them. However, it’s too simplistic to assign the dangers of processed foods to just one ingredient - issues with eating too much fat overall, sugar, salt and low-fibre ingredients (8) are probably stronger causes of bad health outcomes for ultra-processed foods than just the specific type of fat. 

Omega-9s - e.g. oleic acid fats found in olive oil. These are not essential oils, but have health benefits such as helping increase "good" cholesterol (HDL), reducing "bad" cholesterol (LDL) and supporting heart health (9). Getting a top-up of Omega-9s from your diet, such as olive oil can certainly be beneficial.

Conclusion:

It’s still the well accepted opinion that you should keep your consumption of saturated fats down - recommended as below 10% of your daily calories (even below 6% as recommended by the American Heart Association (2) ). 

Omega-3 unsaturated fats, especially EPA and DHA, are generally accepted to support your overall health. Whilst getting these from eating oily fish is ideal, most people do not eat enough and supplementing with a high quality fish oil supplement is a very good way to get the right amounts of these ‘super-Omega-3s’.   

Finally, don’t stress about Omega-6s - you need some and they are not bad for you at sensible intake levels. Avoid eating too much Omega-6s (like all fats) - but the real problems from ‘ultra-processed food’ is probably due to many other factors such as overload of fat, calories, salt, and under-load of fibre rather than the Omega-6 content. Risks of Omega-6s often are over-stated due to over-focus on lab results and bad correlation (not causation) skewing the opinions without clinical data to back it up. 

Omega-9s are also good for you in moderate amounts. 

So here’s some free advice:

• Try a good quality fish oil supplement to get the right levels of Omega-3s (such as BePure Three!)

• Try either canola oil (for frying/ heating, good ratio of Omega-3s and Omega-6s) or olive oil (great for when not heating e.g. salad-dressing as rich in Omega-9s and also good ratio of Omega-3s to Omega-6s).

• Eat ‘ultra-processed food’ in small amounts or infrequently - but don’t worry about the Omega-6s, but more about the high calories, fat, sugar content and low fibre content! 

  

BePure Three Fish Oil delivers a potent 1400mg of total omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) per serving. This high-strength formula is sustainably sourced from anchovies in the South Pacific and rigorously third-party tested for purity, freshness, oxidation and label accuracy. We ensure that no harmful oxidised oils are included, providing you with a reliable and effective omega-3 supplement for your wellbeing.

Our fish oil is free from added fillers, making BePure Three a bioavailable and trustworthy choice. Whether you aim to support inflammation management, joint flexibility, skin health, mental health or brain function, BePure Three offers comprehensive support.

 

BePure Wellness Product Development

Dr Mark Hooper, M.Chem., D.Phil, MBA.
Degree and Doctorate in Chemistry from Oxford Uni (UK), Post-doc at Yale Uni (USA), MBA from Warwick Uni (UK).

 

 

References

1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32723506/

2. https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/fats/saturated-fats

3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthy-aging-and-longevity/the-truth-about-fats-bad-and-good

4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/omega-3-6-9-overview#bottom-line

5. https://ods.od.nih.gov/pdf/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer.pdf

6. https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/no-need-to-avoid-healthy-omega-6-fats

7. https://www.heart.org/en/news/2024/08/20/theres-no-reason-to-avoid-seed-oils-and-plenty-of-reasons-to-eat-them

8. https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/behind-the-headlines/ultra-processed-foods

9. https://vitabiotics.pl/en/blogs/kompendium-kwasy-tluszczowe/omega-9