Eating too much omega-6 fat—especially from vegetable oils and meat from grain-fed animals—might increase body-wide inflammation, which could lead to long-term health problems like heart disease or...

Eating too many omega-6 fats (like in vegetable oils) compared to omega-3 fats (like in fish) can make your body more inflamed, which can damage your blood vessels and lead to clogged arteries over time.

In older adults, eating more omega-6 fats like linoleic acid or having higher levels of arachidonic acid in the body doesn’t seem to increase signs of inflammation.

If older adults have more of a certain healthy fat (linoleic acid) in their blood cells, they tend to have lower levels of inflammation markers in their body.

Eating certain types of healthy fats—like those found in nuts and seeds—doesn’t seem to change levels of inflammation in the blood of healthy American adults.

Diets with a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids are linked to higher levels of inflammation and greater body fat in humans, while diets with a balanced ratio are linked to lower inflammation and reduced obesity risk.