Omega-6
A family of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (including linoleic and arachidonic acid), needed by the body but often eaten in excess in the Western diet.
Omega-6s are essential (the body cannot make them) and play vital roles: cell membrane structure, blood clotting, immune response and wound healing. The main ones are linoleic acid (sunflower, corn and soya oils) and arachidonic acid (a derivative, found in meat and eggs).
A fresh angle (an important nuance): the popular narrative “omega-6 = bad/pro-inflammatory” is simplistic and incorrect. A systematic review of more than 30 clinical trials showed that increasing linoleic acid does not significantly raise blood markers of inflammation. Worse for the myth: a meta-analysis of 310,000 participants linked a higher intake of linoleic acid to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease.
So where is the real problem? It is the omega-6/omega-3 ratio. The Western diet has a ratio of 10:1 to 40:1, whereas the ideal is around 4:1 to 5:1 (as in the Mediterranean diet).
This imbalance matters because omega-6 and omega-3 compete for the same conversion enzymes. Too much omega-6 stifles the production of EPA/DHA from ALA. The real lever is therefore not to “eliminate” omega-6s but to increase omega-3s to rebalance.