OMEGA-6'S IN ALMONDS, OLIVE OIL, ETC. ARE NOT THE VILLAINS THEY ARE MADE OUT TO BE


OMEGA-6'S IN ALMONDS, OLIVE OIL etc. ARE NOT THE VILLAINS THEY ARE MADE OUT TO BE

We need to base our lives on FACTS, not myths, so please remember that I'm just reporting the facts here, so don't take umbrage with the reporter - instead go and debate with these good folks, who were involved in debunking the myth: Dr. Doug Bibus - an expert on fatty acid metabolism and a protege of Dr. William Lands the father of omega-3 research, AS WELL we have: The Channing Laboratory (D.M., A.A., F.B.H., M.J.S., W.C.W., E.B.R.), Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology (D.M., A.A., F.B.H., M.J.S., W.C.W., E.B.R.), Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass, and the Cardiovascular Health Research Unit (D.S.S.), Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. AND a 2007 Study published in The Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine. 

We all feel instinctively that OLIVE OIL and ALMONDS and ACAI BERRIES are HEART-HEALTHY - yet others say their imbalance of OMEGA-6 vs 3 makes them not healthy!  However, we notice that cultures who eat those regularly have really good heart health!  So what's up? Rather than make this emotional - let's go hunting for the facts!
And the facts are ... It turns out that people who key on the ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 (and scare everyone silly with this nebulous ratio) are indeed wrong. It's a myth, that was perpetuated without hard scientific facts.  Now that we have those Scientific studies, it's clear that the ratio of Omega-6 vs 3, is almost meaningless, according to the Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine. In fact from the excerpt below you will see that trying to reduce Omega 6's in the diet will likely increase insulin resistance, heart disease and diabetes.  Here is the excerpt and copied immediately below for your convenience:
"n-6 Fatty acids, like n-3 fatty acids, play essential roles in many biological functions. Because n-6 fatty acids are the precursors of proinflammatory eicosanoids, higher intakes have been suggested to be detrimental, and the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids has been suggested by some to be particularly important. However, this hypothesis is based on minimal evidence, and in humans higher intakes of n-6 fatty acids have not been associated with elevated levels of inflammatory markers.
They go on to say: "n-6 Fatty acids have long been known to reduce serum total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increases in polyunsaturated fat intake, mostly as n-6 fatty acids, were a cornerstone of dietary advice during the 1960s and 1970s. In the United States, for example, intake of n-6 fatty acids doubled and coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality fell by 50% over a period of several decades. In a series of relatively small, older randomized trials, in which intakes of polyunsaturated fat were increased (even up to 20% of calories), rates of CHD were generally reduced. In a more recent detailed examination of fatty acid intake within the Nurses' Health Study, greater intake of linoleic acid, up to about 8% of energy, has been strongly related to lower incidence of myocardial infarction or CHD death. Because n-3 fatty acids were also related inversely to risk of CHD, the ratio was unrelated to risk. n-6 Fatty acids reduce insulin resistance, probably by acting as a ligand for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors-γ, and intakes have been inversely related to risk of type 2 diabetes."
FINALLY, and this is key! "Adequate intakes of both n-6 and n-3 fatty acids are essential for good health and low rates of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, but the ratio of these fatty acids is not useful. Reductions of linoleic acid (Omega-6) to improve this ratio would likely increase rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes."  (Folks this is key!  Can you see it?)
"When we assessed the risk of CHD according to joint intakes of EPA+DHA and n-6 fatty acids, higher EPA+DHA intake was associated with a lower risk of sudden death regardless of n-6 PUFA intake."
So it is clear from this excerpt, that as long as one is getting sufficient Omega-3's (from grass-fed beef, leafy green vegetables, walnuts, chia seeds, flax (I'm not a fan of this  last option), fish, salmon oil capsules, etc.) then it doesn't matter how much Omega 6's you eat (BUT this becomes clearer as you read on)!
Here it is in the conclusion: "Conclusions— n-3 PUFAs from both seafood and plant sources may reduce CHD risk, with little apparent influence from background n-6 PUFA intake."
It seems the problem arrives when people have too little Omega-3's in their diet.  So make sure you have enough Omega-3's and don't worry about the Omega-6's so much.  So it's not the same issue that some make it out to be.
AND Finally this from the in-depth HUGE 2 decades long study:  "When joint intakes of ALA (n-3 fatty acids) and n-6 fatty acids were assessed, higher ALA intake was associated with lower risk or trends toward a lower risk of nonfatal MI, whether n-6 PUFA intake was lower (HR=0.85; 95% CI=0.72 to 0.99) or higher (HR=0.89; 95% CI=0.77 to 1.02) and with a lower risk of total CHD, whether n-6 PUFA intake was lower (HR=0.88; 95% CI=0.78 to 0.99) or higher (HR=0.89; 95% CI=0.79 to 0.99) (multivariate model, Table 3)." 
So make sure you get enough Omega-3's - bottom line! 
There doesn't seem to be as much panic about how much Omega-6's one consumes.
So, why are people getting bent out of shape about how much Omega-6's they are consuming?  It's quite apparent from these studies that people should not worry and low-carbers can enjoy their almond flour treats in without a care in the world.  That is good news among the recent scare stories of too much Omega-6 in nuts on the internet. For low-carbers, desserts can be a part of our diet and, and almond flour in desserts has been key since forever practically. Now that high-protein wheat is off our list of flours, we do not have a lot of good options.  We have yet to find something better.  Folks who get off the white sugar and white flour always find their health improves and folks with diabetes often become latent diabetics.  Cholesterol markers improve.  Remember almonds are incredibly heart healthy. They reduce LDL cholesterol and prevent the forming of blood clots which can lead to a fatal heart attack.
Are there any cautions? Yes - With Olive oil, Almonds and so many other healthy foods that contain Omega-6's, we do have to be a little careful not to overheat them, try to stay at or below 375 deg. F or lower,  as Omega-6's can start to break down under extreme heat - but do remember almond flour is usually combined with a lot of moisture in our baked goodies. Typically when we bake we use a moderate oven at 350 deg. F. (180 deg. C.) and the almond flour is bathed in eggs, butter or oil and other wet or liquid ingredients, so it is well protected.
Okay, here is a breakdown of the PUFA's in my Splendid Gluten-Free Bake Mix: A full batch is 320 grams and there are only 23.8 grams PUFA's in the entire bake mix. Remember when baking, we normally use even less than a full batch of bake mix in any one recipe, so typically we are getting a small fraction of that - much less than 23.8 grams, which is very little anyhow. So, remember to take your Omega-3 salmon or Krill oil capsules, and you're going to be just fine! So enjoy your almond flour and your olive oil and your low-carb baking, without worrying.
MY BAKE MIX:
ALMOND FLOUR - 182 grams, 1.67 cups
OAT FLOUR - 100 grams, 0.75 cup
COCONUT FLOUR - 38 grams, 0.25 cup
TOTAL --------> 320 grams 2.67 cups

182g of ALMOND FLOUR has in it:

OVERVIEW
Energy (kJ):
4,596.2 kJ
Energy (cal):
1,098.5 cal
Protein:
36.4 g
Fat:
100.5 g
-Saturated Fat:
6.6 g
-Mono-Unsaturated Fat:
65.5 g
-Poly-Unsaturated Fat:
23.8 g
Carbohydrate:
8.0 g
-Complex Carbs:
0.0 g
-Sugar:
8.0 g
Fibre:
16.0 g
Water Content:
6.7 mL