Research
Hormonal
A lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (2-3:1) suppresses inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5:1 has a beneficial effect on asthma.
For inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or asthma, aim for a lower omega-6 to omega-3 ratio (2-5:1). This involves reducing seed oils and increasing omega-3 sources (fish, flax, walnuts). High omega-6 ratios (10:1) may worsen symptoms.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
A ratio of 2-3/1 suppressed inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and a ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma, whereas a ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences.
Why this rating
Based on cited clinical studies (James and Cleland; Broughton et al.).
Source
Omega-6/Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acid Ratio and Chronic Diseases
Artemis P. Simopoulos · Food Reviews International · 2004
DOI 10.1081/fri-120028831
narrative_reviewCited 512×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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