BOSTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- People with a specific gene who eat lots of omega-6 fatty acids increase their risk of developing heart disease, say U.S. researchers.
Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are polyunsaturated and have been promoted as safeguards against heart disease.
Omega-6 fatty acids are normally found in grains, meats, corn and soy oil, and processed foods made with corn and soy oil. Omega-3 fatty acids are part of nuts, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, and canola and flaxseed oils.
The researchers, led by Chao-Qiang Lai from Tufts University Medical Center, said that, although omega-6 fats do protect against atherosclerotic build-up in the veins and arteries of most of the population, people who carry the apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene have an added risk.
For those people, consuming omega-6 fats produces a 21-percent increase in their triglyceride levels and a 34-percent elevation of some atherogenic lipoprotein particles in their blood.
However, omega-3 fatty acids remain safe for everyone, the team said.
Both omega-3 and omega-6 fats are essential for proper fat breakdown and both must be consumed in the diet since the body does not naturally produce them.
The negative effects the researchers observed occurred only if foods with omega-6 fatty acids comprised more than 6 percent of APOA5 carriers' daily diet. The researchers studied more than 2,000 participants in the Framingham Heart Study to come to their conclusions, and the APOA5 gene was found in 13 percent of their sample.
The study appears in the most recent issue of the journal Circulation.
