The Standard American Diet—fittingly abbreviated as SAD—gets about 30–50% of its calories from fat, most of it from animal products, oils, and processed foods. Fats (solid) and oils (liquid) are grouped together under the term lipids. They often get a bad reputation, but the truth is: fats are essential for life.
Why We Need Fat:
Far from being the enemy, fats play critical roles in the body. Their primary functions include:
- Giving structure to cell membranes,
- Storing energy for later use, and
- Acting as signaling molecules that regulate important biological processes.
When we eat fats, the body breaks them down into fatty acids, which pack serious energy—9 calories per gram, more than double the energy from carbs or protein.
- Animal fats tend to be high in saturated fatty acids.
- Plant fats are generally higher in unsaturated fatty acids.
The Omega-3 Hype
Omega-3 fats generally these days are considered to be “good fats” and their consumption is associated with lower coronary heart disease (CHD). However, when Omega-3 fats are given alone as supplements, they don’t work.
A review of 59 studies published [1]in 2006 concluded:
- Omega-3 fats, whether long-chain or short-chain, had no clear effect on total mortality, cardiovascular events, or cancer.
- Even more concerning, the authors noted that a possible increased risk of cancer could not be ruled out.
Fish and Diabetes Risk
Another study [2]in 2009 looked at omega-3 intake and Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The conclusion?
- No evidence that long-chain omega-3s or fish reduce diabetes risk.
- In fact, people who ate five or more servings of fish per week had a 22% higher risk of diabetes compared with those who ate fish less than once a month.
Essential Fats: Why Omega-3s and Omega-6s Aren’t So Black and White
Just like there are essential amino acids, there are also two essential fatty acids (EFAs) our bodies can’t make on their own: linoleic acid (LA), an omega-6 fat, and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fat. Since only plants can produce these, we have to get them from food.
As outlined above, omega-3s are praised as the “good” fats and you’d have probably heard omega-6s labeled the “bad” ones. But is it really that simple? Not quite.
Restoring Balance: The Importance of the Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio
Ideally, the balance of omega-6 to omega-3 fats in our diet should be close to 1:1[3]—or at most 3:1. But in a typical Western diet, that ratio can skyrocket to anywhere from 16:1 all the way to 50:1. That huge gap has real health consequences. Research [4]links a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio with arthritis, Crohn’s disease, diabetes, depression, heart disease, stroke, autoimmune diseases, and even cancer.
Here’s why: omega-6 fats tend to fuel inflammation, while omega-3s help calm it down. But inflammation isn’t all bad—it’s actually part of the body’s healing process. The problem comes when there’s too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 to balance things out. With the right mix, these fats work together to keep blood pressure steady, support healthy cholesterol, and make sure blood clotting happens when it should.
In short, omega-6 isn’t “bad” on its own—we just get far too much of it compared to omega-3. Finding that balance is key to protecting long-term health.
Achieving Balance Without Supplements
Dr. Campbell’s China Project and other research point to a simple truth: when you eat a wide variety of whole, unprocessed plant foods, your body naturally finds a healthy balance of fatty acids.
On the flip side, loading up on animal products—including fish muscle meat (which contains the omega-6 fat arachidonic acid)—along with processed oils (corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean), snack foods, baked goods, and even some salad dressings, can tip the scale toward too many omega-6s. Even some otherwise healthy whole foods, like grains, nuts, and seeds, are naturally higher in omega-6s—so the key is enjoying them in moderation, as part of a varied, whole-food diet.
Takeaway
At the end of the day, health isn’t about chasing or avoiding one “super nutrient.” It’s about balance. When we hear claims that a single nutrient—or even a single food—is a miracle cure or something to totally avoid, it’s worth asking: Are we seeing the whole picture? Would a whole-food, wholistic perspective tell a different story?
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16565093/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19625683/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17045449/
[4] https://lipidworld.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12944-025-02676-6
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