Research
Macro partitioning
Selective substitution of omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) for saturated fat does not provide cardiovascular benefits and may increase mortality, whereas increasing omega-3 PUFAs alongside LA reduces cardiovascular mortality.
If you want to improve heart health by changing fats, focus on increasing Omega-3s (like fish oil or flaxseed) rather than just replacing saturated fats with high-Omega-6 oils like safflower oil. The benefits of 'healthy fats' are driven by Omega-3s, not Omega-6.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
By contrast, pooled analysis of the four randomized controlled trials that increased n-3 PUFAs alongside n-6 LA showed reduced cardiovascular mortality (0.79 (0.63 to 0.99); P=0.04).
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of multiple RCTs, though heterogeneity exists.
Source
Use of dietary linoleic acid for secondary prevention of coronary heart disease and death: evaluation of recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study and updated meta-analysis
Christopher E. Ramsden et al. · BMJ · 2013
Meta-analysis · 7 studiesCited 515×
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