Omega-6 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fats. The main one in food is linoleic acid, found in vegetable oils such as safflower oil; others include gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) and arachidonic acid.
Also known as: omega-6, linoleic acid, LA, n-6 fatty acids.
Most trials raised omega-6 intake through diet, usually in place of saturated or monounsaturated fat; 7 of 19 trials in the Cochrane review used GLA supplements (Hooper 2018). These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. Most omega-6 fat comes from food; omega-6 supplements include oils such as evening primrose oil (GLA), which has its own page.
What studies show: a 2018 Cochrane review of 19 trials in 6,461 people followed for 1 to 8 years found low-quality evidence that eating more omega-6 fat makes little or no difference to deaths or heart and blood vessel events. It may slightly lower heart attack risk, and high-quality evidence showed it lowers total cholesterol a little (Hooper 2018). In recovered data from the Sydney Diet Heart Study (1966 to 1973), 458 men with heart disease who replaced saturated fat with safflower oil had higher death rates than controls (17.6% versus 11.8%), and an updated meta-analysis showed trends toward more heart deaths that were not statistically significant (Ramsden 2013).
Safety: the review found little or no effect on body weight, triglycerides, HDL or LDL (Hooper 2018). The sources here do not describe drug interactions.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for omega-6 fats that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. They are dietary fats stored and used throughout the body.
How Dose Track handles peptides · Reconstitution calculator · Half-life calculator