Emma ReeveNutrition

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Omega · 6 min read

Your omega-6:3 ratio, and how to move it.

It is the marker most likely to be out of range, the one food changes fastest, and the clearest thing to re-test twelve weeks later.

Golden oil droplets dispersing in water

What the ratio actually is

Omega-6 and omega-3 are both essential fats: you have to eat them. They compete for the same enzymes, and broadly speaking the omega-6 pathway produces more inflammatory signalling molecules while the omega-3 pathway produces more resolving ones. The ratio is a measure of which pathway your diet is currently feeding.

A typical Western diet runs somewhere around 15:1 to 20:1. Diets associated with lower inflammatory burden sit far closer to 4:1. Nobody is short of omega-6, it is in almost every seed oil and processed food. The gap is almost always on the omega-3 side.

Typical Western diet15:1

Roughly where most people start

Commonly cited target4:1

Associated with lower inflammatory burden

Red blood cell turnover~120

Days, which is why a re-test waits

Why it takes about twelve weeks

The test measures the fatty acids built into your red blood cell membranes, not what you ate yesterday. Red cells live roughly 120 days, so the membrane composition turns over gradually. Most of the change shows in the first eight to twelve weeks and then flattens, which is exactly why the re-test sits at twelve.

Omega-3 index over time Illustrative
10% 8% 6% 4% Week 0 Week 4 Week 8 Week 12 Baseline Most of the change Re-test

Illustrative curve. The shape reflects the pattern seen in supplementation trials measuring the omega-3 index; the magnitude depends on dose, baseline and the individual. It is not a prediction of your result.

What actually moves it

  • 01

    Oily fish, two or three times a week

    Food first
  • 02

    Less seed oil, which is mostly about eating out less

    The omega-6 side
  • 03

    A measured EPA and DHA dose where food cannot reach it

    Only if needed

Plant sources such as flax and walnuts give you ALA, which the body converts to EPA and DHA inefficiently, in most people at a low single-digit percentage. They are worth eating, but they are not a reliable substitute if your index is genuinely low.

This is general nutrition education, not medical advice. Omega-3 at higher doses can interact with anticoagulant medication, so speak to your GP or pharmacist before starting if you take one. Full health disclaimer →

See how the Omega Balance panel works →