Nutrition

Intermittent Fasting is more than a conscious decision to feel lousy - on the contrary, many people feel and train better than ever with Intermittent Fasting! Here's a brief introduction to the main approaches to intermittent fasting and a way to test whether intermittent fasting might be right for you. If you've spent any time surfing the web on fitness and nutrition websites, then you've probably heard of intermittent fasting. At first you may have laughed at this concept. I mean don't we always fast in phases when we don't have food in our mouths? However, when you dig a little deeper, it's hard not to be intrigued by this idea of fasting - if only because the people who love it seem to really love the concept while those who don't love it see it as unimaginable. Supporters of intermittent fasting say they feel better than ever and point to a wide range of improved health markers. Opponents of the concept scoff. The intensity is so high on both sides that many wonder which side they would take if they had to choose one.

But where is the best place to start? How do the different variants of fasting systems differ? Wouldn't you starve to death in the long run?

If you were to reduce all intermittent fasting systems to the lowest common denominator, it would probably be this: sometimes you eat and sometimes you don't. But you spend more time eating. But you spend more time not eating than eating. That's the real point. This premise might be enough for many to click the little red x and make this article disappear.

If you're not in that group, then read on as we take a closer look at the appeal, risks and different interpretations of the 'eating window'.

Why is intermittent fasting so popular?

Perhaps the most important reason behind the increasing popularity of intermittent fasting among men and women is that this dietary strategy is convenient. Think about it: You wake up in the morning and instead of spending time in the kitchen, you can enjoy your coffee in peace and then go straight to work. You don't have to prepare food, you don't have to clean up and nothing gets in the way of your productivity. In addition to this, many people report that fasting gives them a feeling of elation. They say that they feel more energized and alert and as a result are better able to complete their tasks.

Raise your hand if you're someone who likes to snack in the evening. That's probably most of us. Now keep your hand up if you often find yourself in the kitchen in the evening, opening cupboards and drawers in the hope that different snacks will magically appear before your eyes. Moving your eating window back means you can eat more in the evening when your willpower is at its weakest. Why is this great? Normal weakness is transformed into strength. Does it really make sense to deprive yourself of things you really want during moments of weakness? It doesn't have to be like that.

Some people simply try to reach a state of satiety by eating treats and whole foods. Others crave carbohydrates in particular and have a craving for rice, sweet potatoes, bread and the like. Still others reach for gummy bears and want nothing more than to snuggle up in bed with a bowl of ice cream before drifting off into the realm of dreams. Intermittent fasting gives you the freedom to indulge your cravings to a certain extent, rather than fighting them all day long and only making them worse. Many people can - within reason - still eat what they want and still stay slim. With pretty much all intermittent fasting systems, you can go to sleep with a full stomach and a satisfied grin on your face and still stick to your macros for the day.

This means you can lose fat without feeling like you're on a diet. In general, you will face much less resistance in your food choices in daily life.

Who is Intermittent Fasting suitable for?

You might like intermittent fasting if you fall into one or more of the following categories:

• You lead a very hectic life
• You have a job that makes eating regularly a real problem
• You are rather lazy when it comes to cooking
• You have a very big appetite
• You hate Tupperware bowls and can never find the right lids
• You have already experimented with intermittent fasting in a rational way and have had positive experiences

How do I know which system is right for me?

At first glance, you won't know. At second glance, you will realize that one variant will appeal to you a little more than the others and that you will have to read up a little more on the subject. I know that you would prefer it if I told you exactly what to do. You want the answers and of course the inventor of each of these methods will tell you that their version is the best. But from a non-financially influenced point of view, I can tell you that different approaches are best for different people. The trick is to find the best method for you.

Here is a very brief overview of some of the most popular intermittent fasting methods. These are only very, very rudimentary summaries, so I encourage you to do a little research on the internet and find out more about each of these approaches. Each of these approaches has a different approach when it comes to how you should behave during the "settling in" phase, which you should keep in mind when doing further research.

Lean Gains by Martin Berkhan

• Includes a 16/8 protocol (which means you fast for 16 hours a day and eat for 8 hours)
• Macronutrients and total calorie intake are cycled throughout the week. You consume more calories on training days and less on non-training days.
• Cheesecake and other treats are allowed several times a week during specific time slots.

Website: https://www.leangains.com/

Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon

• You fast once a week for 24 hours and eat normally for the rest of the week
• You are completely free to decide how and what you eat on the non-fasting days

Website: https://www.eatstopeat.org/

The Renegade Diet by Jason Ferruggia

• 16/8 protocol (14/10 for women), with the majority of carbohydrates consumed in the evening.
• Very much health-oriented: whole organic foods, although the list of permitted foods is quite short.

Website: https://www.renegadedietbook.com/

The following two diets are often included in the category of intermittent fasting diets, even though they allow limited food intake during the day. Thus, you will not spend part of your day in a fasting state, which generally begins 8 to 12 hours after your last meal.

The Warrior Diet by Ori Hofmekler

• 20/4 Meal plan: You hardly eat anything during the day, but eat all the more in the evening.
• The window of limited food intake can include limited amounts of raw fruit and vegetables, eggs, yogurt, coffee and tea.
• Allow free consumption of all food groups during the eating window until you are full.

Website: https://www.warriordiet.com/

Card Backloading by John Kiefert

• In Kiefer's 18/6 protocol, you consume protein and fat during the day and save most of your carbohydrates and calories for the evening after your workout.
• Allows and encourages the consumption of high-glycemic foods during the post-workout meal, including donuts and pizza.

Website: https://www.carbbackloading.com/

What you should look out for

You may look at the list above and feel that one of these approaches must work for you. However, even though I have had great success with my clients using different variations of intermittent fasting, I would like to point out that this diet is not for everyone.

First of all, you need to be aware of the following: Fasting is not just an excuse for not eating. I know women who have reported that intermittent fasting has eliminated a large part of their chronic eating disorders, while other women have experienced the exact opposite with increasing frequency of binge eating, anxiety and neuroses about food.

On a purely physical level, some will just feel like crap and won't be able to get through the mornings without noticeable hunger. Others will feel groggy, lethargic and lacking in energy during intermittent fasting. Some will find a way to abuse the rules of intermittent fasting. You may try to justify your continued junk food dominated diet as you have now packed your food into an 8 hour window, as if this will somehow make it better if you consume junk (which is not the case). You may also become more obsessed with food: You'll look at your watch more often, count the seconds until your fasting window is over, etc.

If any of this happens, don't try to force yourself into something that doesn't suit you. There is nothing wrong with eating smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day if this works better for you. Neither method is necessarily wrong. What is wrong is being a slave to your diet, or losing control completely.

Done? Not so fast...

Rather than jumping headfirst into pure intermittent fasting, I would strongly recommend that you have a 2 to 3 week acclimatization period before starting any of the systems described. It's not uncommon to experience some quite unpleasant hunger pangs during the introductory phase, which is why I think it's a good idea to slowly reduce your eating window rather than jumping straight from 14 to 8 hours. For example, during your first week you can try to shorten your eating window from say 6am to 8pm to 8am to 8pm. That's a 12 hour window you're working with. That seems doable, doesn't it? At best, hunger pangs will be completely absent and at worst, mild.

In terms of food choices, you should continue to eat what you have been eating or, depending on the form of intermittent fasting you have chosen, slowly start to eliminate certain foods from your diet and replace them with others. Maybe you give up those sweet breakfast cereals or save them for your post-workout meal. You could also replace butter with coconut oil when cooking. Or you could incorporate more fish or fish oil into your diet. During week 2, go one step further and eat from 10am to 8pm. Just think of it as a late morning breakfast and dinner is still your dinner. Week three is the final phase of your adaptation period as you reach your first 8 hour eating window. Congratulations, you have now lost your Intermittent Fasting virginity.

At the end of these three weeks, there's a good chance you'll know if Intermittent Fasting (or at least the approach you've tried) is a good fit for you. There's no better teacher than experience, right?

I know some readers are impatient and can't wait to dive right in. You think you're too hardcore to need some wimp acclimatization phase. In that case, you are of course free to go straight to an 8 hour eating window. But don't say afterwards that I didn't warn you.

FAQ

I am a shift worker. Can I still practise intermittent fasting?

Technically you can, but if your eating window is constantly changing then this can have devastating effects on your metabolism. It's far from ideal. Work with what you have, but do your best to eat at least around the same times each day.

Do I need to count macronutrients during intermittent fasting?

No, you don't, but you should also be aware that just because your eating window has shortened doesn't mean you can suddenly eat everything in any quantity. You will continue to gain weight if you consistently eat more calories than you consume - no matter how narrow your eating window is. Intermittent fasting is great, but it's not magic.

What if I miss my eating window? What if my typical eating window is between 10am and 8pm, but I eat something by 10pm one night. Do I then have to adjust my eating window the next day?

There will inevitably be days when this happens because life gets in the way. The train may be late, you may be struggling with your baby or you may simply have forgotten to eat. These things happen. Just eat when you can and eat again the next day at your usual time. Don't worry about it. Just try to stay as consistent as possible.

How will intermittent fasting affect my training sessions?

You don't necessarily have to change the way you exercise just because you are now doing intermittent fasting. Some methods require specific training and if this is the case, then follow the appropriate training protocol. Otherwise, just keep doing what you're doing in the gym.

What if I train early in the morning?

If you train early in the morning or at any other time before the start of your eating window, then it's a good idea to take some BCAAs while you train. Different programs have different opinions on supplements, but I personally have found amino acids to be helpful. You can either start your eating window right after your workout or continue the fast with more BCAAs until it's time to eat.

What would a typical day look like if I trained in the morning?

There are many ways to approach this. Here is just one of many possible examples where BCAAs come into play:

• 6:00 a.m.: 10 grams of BCAAs with water
• 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.: Workout + 10 g BCAAs with water
• 8:00 am: 10 g BCAAs with water
• 10:00 am: Meal 1
• 14:00: Meal 2
• 18:00: Meal 3

The timing and macronutrient intake of each meal will inevitably differ based on which Intermittent Fasting protocol you follow, but in general such a scheme works quite well. If we're talking about cardio training, then you probably don't need BCAAs unless it's high-intensity cardio training,

Will my strength decrease?

A lot of people report that they can actually see an increase in their performance at the gym, which is pretty cool, right?

I've tried Intermittent Fasting, but I feel terrible with it. What can I do? The whole point and purpose of eating a certain way is that it makes your diet lighter - not heavier. If you really feel so bad about it, then do something else. It's as simple as that.

By Sohee Lee
https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/to-eat-or-not-to-eat-your-fast-guide-to-fasting.html

Some fat loss myths never seem to die. While they may not slow down your progress, these myths can still waste your time. Maximize your fat loss by avoiding these 9 myths. It seems like old myths never die. Although we live in an age of unrivaled information sharing, most of the old fat loss myths continue to be passed around.

Most of this unfounded advice is quite harmless, but can waste your time with unnecessary practices. The following fat loss myths still prevail. I regularly see them being spread around. I even recently received a spam email containing each of the following myths.

9 Fat Loss Myths

Myth #1 - Eating regularly will increase your metabolic rate

It seems like this notion will never die.
There is no scientific evidence to suggest that regular, or frequent, meals increase metabolic rate. A review of relevant studies concluded that total daily calorie expenditure was the same regardless of the meal frequency used (1).

The frequency of meals in this meta-study ranged from one to seventeen meals per day. The scientists came to the following conclusion: "Studies that used whole-body calorimetry and doubly labeled water to determine energy expenditure over 24 hours found no difference between many small meals and few large meals." Since 1997, all recent research studies have supported this conclusion.

Myth #2 - You need to eat protein at every meal

Adequate protein intake is essential for fat loss. It helps your body maintain valuable muscle mass and helps you improve your body composition while losing weight. While it's not bad to eat protein with every meal, it's not necessary. As long as you achieve an adequate daily protein intake, it generally doesn't matter when and how you eat your protein.

Don't panic if you miss a protein meal. You won't become catabolic and lose all your muscle gains. This obsessive belief has ruined the day for many.

Myth #3 - You shouldn't eat carbs after 2pm

This is another persistent myth. As long as you have your daily calorie intake under control and you don't consume excessive amounts of carbohydrates relative to your other macronutrients, it won't matter when you eat those carbs. There is nothing magical about consuming carbohydrates in the late afternoon or evening. The human body does not have a magic switch that suddenly turns all carbohydrates into fat after 2pm.

The assumption behind this myth is that the metabolic rate slows down during sleep. However, this is generally not the case, even though the human metabolic rate initially slows down by 35% after falling asleep (2), it later increases significantly when you reach REM sleep.

The end result is that your metabolic rate during sleep is not lower than when you are inactive during the day (3, 4). In addition, it should be noted that exercising during the day will also lead to an increase in your metabolic rate at night (5).

Myth #4 - You need to do endless hours of cardio training

Wrong, wrong and wrong. Even though 3 to 4 cardio workouts of 20 to 30 minutes per week are great for overall health, cardio itself is not an efficient fat loss tool - diet is more effective.

Let's say you walk 5 kilometers per hour. 1.5 kilometers burns about 100 kcal. So you'd have to walk over 50 kilometers a week to burn a pound of fat. And even if you walked that much, you wouldn't lose any fat if you don't have your eating habits under control.

Don't overdo the cardio. Use a structured diet plan and the weight will come off. Do some cardio every week for better health and fitness.

Myth #5 - You should cut your calories immediately

Just blindly cutting calories doesn't address bad eating habits, nor does it help shape a new lifestyle. Without addressing the eating (and drinking) habits that got you into this mess in the first place, there's a good chance you'll fail again and regain the weight you lost.

Before you rashly just cut your calories, you should seriously evaluate your diet. Try to remove 90% of the following:

• Sugary drinks and fruit juices (fruit juice is like fruit without all the good nutrients found in the pulp and skin.
• Processed foods (ready meals, most frozen foods, etc.) - Junk food snacks (cookies, crackers and candy)

Once you've removed all of this nutritional junk from your diet, you can choose healthier options instead. At this point, it's time to start controlling calories.

Myth #6 - Rapid weight loss is always a good thing

While it may be necessary for severely overweight people who are trying to improve their health as quickly as possible to lose 4 to 5 pounds per week, this is not the best way to lose weight if you want to look good when you're done. Let's leave out extremely obese people and talk about you. Most of us need to lose a maximum of about 20 to 40 pounds of fat. If this is the case, and you want to look as good as possible when the fat loss process is done, then you should aim for a fat loss of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week.

This rate of weight loss will allow you to maintain as much muscle mass as possible while losing fat. This is what you want. If you lose weight quickly, then you will lose muscle mass and fat and risk looking thin, but still soft and kind of flabby.

Myth #7 - Fasting cardio is best for fat loss

Not true. Without going into all this discussion about different types of cardio and the optimal time to do cardio, I want to use some common sense.

We've already seen that diet drives fat loss and that cardio only has a minimal impact (unless you have enough time to work out for hours every day). Once you understand this, I would strongly recommend that you simply do the following:

1. The type of cardio you enjoy.
2. The type of cardio that is appropriate for your age, health and fitness level.
3. Cardio training at the time of day that makes the most sense for you.

While HIIT cardio may be the best form of cardio on paper, HIIT could also be risky for you. Walk, swim or go bowling. Just get moving. Once you've started to improve your fitness and conditioning, you can do more challenging forms of cardio when you need to. And it makes far more sense to do cardio at a time of day when you're neither pressed for time nor tired. You are more likely to enjoy your cardio training and stick with it without missing a training session. Returning to the topic of cardio training while fasting, here is a quote from Schoenfeld on the subject:

To summarize, the literature does not support the efficacy of early morning exercise on an empty stomach as a tactic to reduce body fat percentage. At best, the net fat loss effect associated with such an approach will be no better than exercising after a meal and may even produce better results (6).

Myth #8 - Choose low-fat foods to lose fat

Eating fat will not make you fat. This is one of the most quoted but also most ridiculous nutrition myths. This myth needs to die and I want to encourage you to help with this process. Excess calories make you fat. Candy, cookies, chips, crackers, high-calorie fast food, convenience foods, sugary drinks... most people consume too many of these foods while consuming too few real, whole, nutrient-dense foods. Low-fat products often contain sugar for flavor or are misleading from the start. How many times have you seen the term "low fat" on a packet of sweets or cookies? Of course these foods are low in fat - as they are almost entirely made up of sugar! A "low fat" label on a food is often meaningless. That food can still be very high in calories.

A high calorie diet will make you gain weight. Control your calories and you will control your weight. Fat will not cause you to gain weight if your eating habits are sensible and balanced.

Myth #9 - Avoid fruit during the fat loss process

This is another foolish fat loss myth. Yes, fruit contains some sugar, but no, fruit is anything but high in calorie density and it's hard to overeat on fruit. In addition, fruit is packed with vitamins and minerals. We're going to toot the same horn here: total calorie intake is the most important factor when it comes to weight gain. I have yet to meet a single person who got fat from eating too many strawberries, apples or oranges. A reasonable amount of natural sugars and carbohydrates found in fruit won't make much difference and certainly won't make your belly grow if you have your total calories under control. If you want to lose fat, it's best to eat a variety of fruit and vegetables each week. This will allow you to get a wider range of vitamins and minerals and is great for overall health.

Fat loss summary

Here is a summary:

1. Eat meals that fit your daily routine and needs. There is no urgent reason to eat every 2 to 3 hours. This will not increase your metabolic rate, but could cause you to waste a lot of time trying to figure out what to eat at 6 to 10 meals a day.
2. It's okay to eat a meal that includes little or no protein. This won't affect your fat loss or the maintenance of your muscles. Aim for a minimum amount of protein per day. It won't make much difference when you eat this protein.
3. Eating carbohydrates after 2pm is fine as long as you keep your total calories under control. These carbohydrates are not directly converted into fat.
4. Your eating plan is your primary fat loss mechanism. Use cardio to support overall health and improve your fitness, but not as your primary tool for fat loss. Cardio training combined with a poor diet will not result in fat loss.
5. Before rushing to reduce your calories, you should analyze your poor eating habits. If you don't take steps to change these habits, you risk getting fat again when your diet is over.
6. To maximize your muscle mass during fat loss, you should aim for a weight loss of 1.5 to 2 pounds per week. This will help you look your best when your diet is over.
7. When and how you do cardio doesn't really matter. Choose a form of cardio that you enjoy and do it at a time of day when you are likely to have the most energy.
8. Eating fat does not make you fat. Excess calorie intake makes you fat. Low-fat foods are not inherently low in calories. They are often overloaded with sugar. Be careful.
9. Eat a wide variety of fruit each week. The small amounts of sugar and carbohydrates contained in fruit will not affect your fat loss as long as your total calorie intake is within a reasonable range.

References

1. Bellisle F, McDevitt R, Prentice AM. Meal frequency and energy balance. Br J Nutr. 1997 Apr;77 Suppl 1:S57-70.
2. Seale JL, Conway JM. Relationship between overnight energy expenditure and BMR measured in a room-sized calorimeter. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1999 Feb;53(2):107-11.
3. Zhang K, Sun M, Werner P, Kovera AJ, Albu J, Pi-Sunyer FX, Boozer CN. Sleeping metabolic rate in relation to body mass index and body composition. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2002 Mar;26(3):376-83.
4. Mischler I, Vermorel M, Montaurier C, Mounier R, Pialoux V, Pequignot JM, Cottet-Emard JM, Coudert J, Fellmann N. Prolonged daytime exercise repeated over 4 days increases sleeping heart rate and metabolic rate. Can J Appl Physiol. 2003 Aug;28(4):616-29.
5. Biston P, Van Cauter E, Ofek G, Linkowski P, Polonsky KS, Degaute JP. Diurnal variations in cardiovascular function and glucose regulation in normotensive humans. Hypertension. 1996 Nov;28(5):863-71.
6. Brad Schoenfeld, MSc, CSCS, NSCA-CPT. Does Cardio After an Overnight Fast Maximize Fat Loss? http://www.lookgreatnaked.com/articles/does_cardio_after_an_overnight_fast_maximize_fat_loss.pdf

Source: https://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/9-fat-loss-myths

You've heard the scary truth. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio of the typical Western world is so heavily skewed towards omega-6 fatty acids (10:1 or even 20:1) that many of us are little more than walking corpses.

Too much omega-6 compared to omega-3 leads to catastrophic levels of systemic inflammation that will set your joints on fire and make you fat, while ensuring you get an early visit from the Grim Reaper in the form of heart disease.

This is an old-fashioned, scary bedtime story. But that's all it is - a story.

The most famous national bedtime story

Just as Robert Southey wrote the story "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" as a tool for parents to teach their children to respect the privacy and property of others, the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio has been used to make people afraid of cake, cookies and other highly processed, fattening products. While I agree that many people should step back from the dessert buffet, there are many valid reasons for this that really have an impact on human physiology.

Omega-6 fatty acids and inflammation

In a previous article, I discussed the biochemical basis of how omega-6 fatty acids such as linoleic acid and arachidonic acid are converted into pro-inflammatory compounds. As mentioned in that article, the consumption of omega-6 fatty acids can actually have anti-inflammatory effects - especially when we are talking about gamma linoleic acid (GLA). This is the number one problem for the omega-6:omega-3 ratio naysayers - omega-6 fatty acids are not automatically pro-inflammatory.

Biochemistry textbooks vs. your body

The next area we need to look at when it comes to the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is the difference between textbooks and your body. Biochemistry textbooks give the impression that the conversion of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is very simple and straightforward. Well, I'm here to tell you that this is not the case. Biochemistry in real life is chaotic, regulated, controlled, inhibited and compartmentalized. In other words, this means that when you eat a handful of walnuts, the linoleic acid they contain is not automatically transported to the body's "inflammation factory" where it is converted into highly pro-inflammatory, figure-destroying prostaglandins - that's not how it works. In order for linoleic acid to be used for pro-inflammatory purposes, it must be converted into arachidonic acid. What will surprise many, however, is the fact that linoleic acid - even when consumed in the amounts corresponding to the Western diet - is not converted into arachidonic acid. In reality, most of the linoleic acid (the primary omega-6 fatty acid in our diet) that you eat does not end up in your body's pro-inflammatory pathways.

A lengthy review published in Nutrition & Metabolism titled "Increasing dietary linoleic acid does not increase tissue arachidonic acid content in adults consuming Western-type diets: a systematic review", concluded that there is no evidence that changes in dietary linoleic acid content will alter tissue arachidonic acid content in adults consuming Western-type diets. A Western diet is a good model in this situation because it is rich in linoleic acid.

Dietary recommendations that are relevant to you

As a reader of this site, most mainstream dietary advice will simply not be relevant to you. You won't be eating 3 "decent meals" a day that are bursting with grains and lacking in protein. You'll avoid mayonnaise and foods overloaded with corn oil, safflower oil and soybean oil. Data about a diet rich in linoleic acid doesn't impress you because you don't eat that stuff anyway. You follow a carbohydrate-controlled diet rich in eggs, vegetables and a variety of different tasty animals. In your case, the pseudo-negative effects of linoleic acid are not a problem. However, arachidonic acid can be a potential problem. With arachidonic acid, no conversion to another fatty acid is necessary - it just needs to be incorporated into your cell membrane and can be used immediately for this purpose.

The good news is that your body will probably protect you. A study from the University of Connecticut, published in 2010 in the paper Lipids, showed that a low-carbohydrate diet that resulted in higher levels of arachidonic acid led to increased membrane arachidonic acid levels, but this enrichment of the membrane with arachidonic acid did not lead to an increase in the levels of pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid metabolites.

Based on the results of this and other studies, the authors concluded that low-carbohydrate diets can maintain membrane arachidonic acid levels.

Go on the fatty acid offensive

So adjusting your omega-6 fatty acids in your diet to reduce inflammation (unless we're talking about GLA) is a waste of time, but what can you do instead?

Number one is to go on the offensive with fish oil. Increases in dietary EPA and DHA lead to increased EPA and DHA levels in your membranes. Dr. Harris refers to the percentage of fatty acids that are EPA and DHA as the Omega-3 Index. This index is a reliable health marker that shows the direct changes caused by increased EPA and DHA intake in biochemical areas relevant to inflammation.

You can imagine it like this: Your cell membranes are full of omega-3 and omega-6 fats. When it comes to forming eicosanoids (anti-inflammatory or pro-inflammatory molecules), a fatty acid is removed from the cell membrane and converted.

So the more omega-3 fatty acids you can pack into your cell membrane, the more likely it is that an omega-3 fatty acid will be selected and removed from the membrane, leading to the formation of anti-inflammatory (or at worst, anti-inflammatory neutral) compounds. This is the reason that the absolute amount of omega-3 fatty acids in your cell membranes is what really matters. That's right. The all-important omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acid ratio of your diet doesn't translate to your cellular membranes - the place where your anti-inflammatory weapons are forged. And following a diet rich in linoleic acid doesn't lead to changes in arachidonic acid levels - at least not the kind of changes that lead to increased inflammation.

What really matters is the amount of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) in your diet. Focus on this for a good 15 seconds a day when taking your fish oil supplement and you have done all that is necessary.

The bottom line

Stop wasting your time trying to tabulate the ratio of two subclasses of fatty acids that don't matter in the grand scheme of things. You're not a typical Western European or North American, you're a power athlete, and aside from walnuts and the occasional teaspoon of toasted sesame seeds in your skillet, you wouldn't give a second glance to any of the top 25 sources of omega-6 fatty acids in the typical diet or the foods they're found in. And even if you ate tons of walnuts and consumed a daily shot of sesame oil, dietary linoleic acid wouldn't immediately find its way to the biochemical pathways that help convert it into pro-inflammatory compounds.

So take your 4 to 8 fish oil capsules a day and lift some heavy weights.

By Mike Roussell, PhD | 01/25/13

Source: https://www.t-nation.com/supplements/omega-6-vs-omega-3-who-cares