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Ethnic food choices balance tissue HUFA from 15% to 90% omega-6!

Ethnic food choices by Greenland, Japanese, Mediterranean, and American populations give proportions of omega-6 in the body's 20- and 22-carbon highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) near 30%, 50%, 60%, and 80%, respectively (see figure). These proportions are biomarkers of essential fats eaten that also serve as surrogate clinical outcomes associated with cardiovascular mortalities of 20, 50, 90, and 200 per 100,000, respectively (see Lancet 1999; 353: 1547-1557 and Ann. Rev. Nutrition 1991; 11: 41-60). Four stars indicate how widely diverse dietary intakes affect surrogate outcomes (proportions of omega-6 in the body's HUFA) noted on the left-hand axis. Clinical outcomes (CVD/100,000) are noted in the stars in the figure. The green starburst reflects recommendations about Adequate Intakes by a 1999 expert panel (J Am Coll Nutr 1999; 18: 487-489).

This empirical qualitative diet tissue relationship is shown in an interactive format that allows estimates of the diet’s influence on tissue HUFA proportions.