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. These proportions are biomarkers that 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 center of the figure. The green starburst reflects recommendations about Adequate Intakes by a 1999 expert panel (J Am Coll Nutr 1999; 18: 487-489).1999 NIH Conferences