omega-6 fatty acid omega-6 fatty acid omega-6 fatty acids (also referred to as ω-6 fatty acids or n-6 fatty acids) are a family of polyunsaturated fatty acids that have in common a final carbon-carbon double bond in the n-6 position, that is, the sixth bond, counting from the methyl end. not to be confused with omega-3 fatty acid or trans fatty acid. types of fats in food saturated fat unsaturated fat monounsaturated fat polyunsaturated fat components fatty acid omega−3 omega−6 omega-7 omega-9 triglyceride cholesterol manufactured fats fat hydrogenation trans fat fat interesterification the evening primrose flower (o. biennis) produces an oil containing a high content of γ-linolenic acid, a type of omega-6 fatty acid. health effects one review found that an increased intake of omega‐6 fatty acids has been shown to reduce total serum cholesterol and may reduce myocardial infarction (heart attack). the same review found no significant change in ldl cholesterol and triglycerides. a 2021 review found that omega-6 supplements do not affect the risk of cvd morbidity and mortality. in contrast, the oxidized linoleic acid hypothesis states that the growing amount of linoleic acid (la) accumulation in adipose tissue, specifically low density lipoproteins (ldl), induces atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease, and a study done in 2015 found that la in adipose tissue increased 136% between 1959 and 2008. another source outlines the differences of how omega-6 and omega-3 are processed in the body, and states that the ratio should not exceed 10:1, and another source addresses the link between a high ratio and infertility in men. a study involving drosophila shows an increase in lipid mediators for the pathway of inflammatory responses with omega-6, and unaltered changes with omega-3. although drosophila lack prostaglandins, in humans, omega-6 activates an increase in prostaglandin production, and other key mediators of inflammation. a study in 2003 showed that replacing omega-6 with omega-3 within cell membranes can protect the cell against inflammation. dietary sources dietary sources of omega-6 fatty acids include: poultry eggs nuts hulled sesame seeds cereals durum wheat whole-grain breads pumpkin seeds hemp seeds vegetable oils vegetable oils are a major source of omega-6 linoleic acid. worldwide, more than 100 million metric tons of vegetable oils are extracted annually from palm fruits, soybean seeds, rape seeds, and sunflower seeds, providing more than 32 million metric tons of omega-6 linoleic acid and 4 million metric tons of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid. properties of vegetable oils the nutritional values are expressed as percent (%) by mass of total fat. typeprocessingtreatmentsaturatedfatty acidsmonounsaturatedfatty acidspolyunsaturatedfatty acidssmoke point totaloleicacid(ω-9)totalα-linolenicacid(ω-3)linoleicacid(ω-6)ω-6:3ratio avocado11.670.652–6613.5112.512.5:1250 °c (482 °f) brazil nut24.832.731.342.00.141.9419:1208 °c (406 °f) canola7.463.361.828.19.118.62:1204 °c (400 °f) coconut82.56.361.7175 °c (347 °f) corn12.927.627.354.715858:1232 °c (450 °f) cottonseed25.917.81951.915454:1216 °c (420 °f) cottonseedhydrogenated93.61.50.60.20.31.5:1 flaxseed/linseed9.018.41867.853130.2:1107 °c (225 °f) grape seed 10.514.314.3 74.7–74.7very high216 °c (421 °f) hemp seed7.09.09.082.022.054.02.5:1166 °c (330 °f) high-oleic safflower oil7.575.275.212.8012.8very high212 °c (414 °f) olive, extra virgin13.873.071.310.50.79.814:1193 °c (380 °f) palm49.337.0409.30.29.145.5:1235 °c (455 °f) palmhydrogenated88.25.70 peanut16.257.155.419.90.31819.661.6:1232 °c (450 °f) rice bran oil2538.438.436.62.234.415.6:1232 °c (450 °f) sesame14.239.739.341.70.341.3138:1 soybean15.622.822.657.77517.3:1238 °c (460 °f) soybeanpartially hydrogenated14.943.042.537.62.634.913.4:1 sunflower8.9963.462.920.70.1620.5128:1227 °c (440 °f) walnut oilunrefined9.122.822.263.310.452.95:1160 °c (320 °f) list of omega-6 fatty acids the chemical structure of linoleic acid, a common omega-6 fatty acid found in many nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils. common name lipid name chemical name linoleic acid (la) 18:2 (n−6) all-cis-9,12-octadecadienoic acid gamma-linolenic acid (gla) 18:3 (n−6) all-cis-6,9,12-octadecatrienoic acid calendic acid 18:3 (n−6) 8e,10e,12z-octadecatrienoic acid eicosadienoic acid 20:2 (n−6) all-cis-11,14-eicosadienoic acid dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid (dgla) 20:3 (n−6) all-cis-8,11,14-eicosatrienoic acid arachidonic acid (aa, ara) 20:4 (n−6) all-cis-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid docosadienoic acid 22:2 (n−6) all-cis-13,16-docosadienoic acid adrenic acid 22:4 (n−6) all-cis-7,10,13,16-docosatetraenoic acid osbond acid 22:5 (n−6) all-cis-4,7,10,13,16-docosapentaenoic acid tetracosatetraenoic acid 24:4 (n−6) all-cis-9,12,15,18-tetracosatetraenoic acid tetracosapentaenoic acid 24:5 (n−6) all-cis-6,9,12,15,18-tetracosapentaenoic acid the melting point of the fatty acids increases as the number of carbons in the chain increases.