🧬 The right omega-6/omega-3 ratio on the plate to fight obesity

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In our diet, the intake of omega-6 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids is too unbalanced, which increases the risk of obesity and could also promote certain cognitive disorders. Incorporating more sources of omega-3 into our menus, such as fatty fish, nuts and even flax seeds, could have a significant impact on our health. In your meals, you should favor sources of omega-3 fatty acids, such as rapeseed oil, fatty fish, nuts and even flax seeds, which could have a significant impact on our health.

In a world where the fight againstobesity looms large in public health concerns, we are constantly bombarded with information about diet, exercise and healthy living.

Nearly one in two French people are overweight or obese. But did you know that these numbers hide a real battle that takes place in our organs and in our brain?

Respect a certain omega-6/omega-3 ratio

Behind the public health problem of overweight and obesity lies a much more complex web linking our eating habits to our mental well-being. At the heart of this relationship is a delicate balance between two types of fatty acids: omega-6 and the Omega 3.

The foods richest in omega-3 fatty acids are nuts and rapeseed, flax, soybean oils, etc. as well as fatty fish such as salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines or even anchovies.

Omega-6 fatty acids are found in particular in sunflower, corn seed, grape or argan oils.

Picture this: every time we opt for foods rich in omega-6, such as some vegetal oils and ultra-processed foods (for example ready meals found in supermarkets, sweet biscuits and aperitif biscuits, chips or even instant soups), we exacerbate our risk of obesity.

But what is still too often ignored is that we also promote chronic inflammation which can affect our brain in an insidious way and thus promote certain neurological disorders such as anxiety.

Reference centers like theWorld Health Organization (WHO) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States recommend consuming between 3 and 5 omega-6 for 1 omega-3 (ratios 3/1 to 5/1). However, the alimentary consommation of most developed and developing countries exceeds 10/1 and can even reach 15/1. In other words, the consumption of omega-6 is more than ten times, and up to fifteen times higher than that of omega-3!

What are the links between fatty acids, obesity and neuroinflammation?

Obesity is the result of a complex interaction between genetic and environmental causes, in which diet plays a major role.

This pathology is associated with numerous comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, osteoarthritis, cancers and neurological disorders (anxiety, depression, cognitive disorders, etc.).

Excessive calorie consumption leads to metabolic dysfunction, also called metabolic syndrome which is characterized in particular by a high waist circumference, an abnormality of sugar and lipid levels in the blood, high blood pressure, etc.

We now know that it is also responsible for a chronic inflammation at the level of the central nervous system and, in particular, the brain, which is known as neuroinflammation.

Inflammation that affects different key regions of the brain

This neuroinflammation seen in obesity affects several regions of the brain, notably the cortex (responsible for motor skills, sensitivity, sensoriality, language, etc.), the amygdala (which coordinates the center of emotions, happiness, fear, anger, anxiety…), the hippocampus (which governs cognition, notably learning, memory, etc.) and the hypothalamus.

However, the hypothalamus is the main brain region that controls eating behavior as well as the balance between inputs (via food) and energy expenditure (energy homeostasis). It is therefore believed that the neuroinflammation observed in the brain contributes to the cognitive and metabolic dysfunctions observed in obesity.

Work in animals to understand the effects in humans

We carried out a study in which we are interested, in mice subjected to different diets, to the development of obesity, glucose metabolism, inflammation and behavior.

Working on mice rather than humans offers the opportunity to directly explore the effects of fatty acid consumption on the brain and its functioning.

Indeed, in studies in mice, it is possible to precisely control the supply of fatty acids, which is difficult to achieve in humans for ethical and monitoring reasons. Additionally, mice have a short lifespan and reproduce quickly, which allows for longitudinal and genetic studies that are difficult to perform in humans.

Finally, as a biological model, the mouse shares many genes and metabolic pathways with our species, making it a relevant model for studying the effects of fatty acids on the brain and their impact on neurological health.

Health and behavior of mice altered by unbalanced diets

Concretely, how did we proceed? We fed the mice diets for five months that contained identical intakes of fat, carbohydrates, and protein, but had different ratios of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids.

A first group was fed a beneficial diet enriched with rapeseed oil (characterized by a low omega-6/omega-3 ratio, lower than the recommendations of reference health organizations). A second group was fed a diet close to what is found in Western human food, based on soybean oil and corn oil (average omega-6/omega-3 ratio). Finally, a third group followed an extremely harmful diet, very enriched in sunflower oil (very high omega-6/omega-3 ratio).

We found that mice fed a diet high in omega-6 fatty acids compared to omega-3 fatty acids showed an increased propensity for obesity. This tendency to accumulate body fat has been accompanied by an alteration in the ability to regulate blood sugar levels (or blood sugar), a factor that is key in the development of diabetes type 2 in humans.

Results to be confirmed on humans

Our study also found that mice exposed to high ratios of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids (via a very high intake of sunflower oil) had increased inflammation in different organs, including the liver and tissues. adipose, consistent with what is known about the metabolic complications associated with excess body fat in humans.

Increased inflammation was also characteristically detected in their brains, particularly in the hypothalamus and hippocampus, regions respectively involved in the regulation of food intake and memory. It is then possible that this brain inflammation, called neuroinflammation, is at the origin of the triggering of the anxiety-like behaviors and spatial memory deficits that we observed in these mice, suggesting a correlation between the excess of omega-6 fatty acids and neurological alterations.

A poor omega-6/omega-3 ratio increases the risk of overweight and obesity. Studies suggest it may also promote chronic brain inflammation and cognitive impairment.

In contrast, mice fed a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids (characterized by a high intake of rapeseed oil) showed a reduction in obesity, with less accumulation of body fat and better regulation of glucose levels. . In addition, these mice showed a reduction in inflammation in their peripheral tissues (liver and adipose tissue) as well as in the brain. Behaviorally, these mice were found to suffer fewer anxiety symptoms and have better spatial memory scores.

Let’s adopt good eating habits

Full investigations must now be carried out in humans to confirm these hypotheses. However, our results now underline the importance of maintaining an adequate balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in the diet, in accordance with the recommendations of reference health organizations, in order to prevent not only metabolic complications ( diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular risks, etc.), but also neurological risks associated with obesity.

In our society where processed foods rich in omega-6 fatty acids are omnipresent, it is crucial to raise awareness of the importance of omega-3 fatty acid intake to maintain good metabolic and neurological health.

It is obviously not a question of eliminating sunflower oil because of its omega-6 fatty acids and only consuming rapeseed oil for its omega-3. However, simple changes in dietary habits are necessary, such as favoring sources of omega-3 fatty acids such as oily fish, nuts and flaxseeds, which could have a significant impact on our health.