anyone take GLA or omega 6? help or hurt dry eye???

[jenny2008]

i only take omega 3 triglyceride form fish oil.. but a lot of people i talk to take GLA which is an omega 6... whenever i ask my doc about this he says there is too much omega 6 in the american diet (which is true) but i thought GLA was anti-inflammatory???? please help!!! does it help with dry eye???

[PotatoCakes]

Not that Wiki is the end all be all but here's some info that might be helpful:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omega-6_fatty_acid
Negative health effects

Some medical research suggests that excessive levels of certain n−6 fatty acids, relative to certain n−3 (Omega-3) fatty acids, may increase the probability of a number of diseases.[3][4][5]
Modern Western diets typically have ratios of n−6 to n−3 in excess of 10 to 1, some as high as 30 to 1; the average ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 in the Western diet is 15/1–16.7/1.[6] Humans are thought to have evolved with a diet of a 1-to-1 ratio of omega 6 to omega 3 and the optimal ratio is thought to be 4 to 1 or lower.[7][6] A ratio of 2–3/1 omega 6 to omega 3 helped reduce inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.[6] A ratio of 5/1 had a beneficial effect on patients with asthma but a 10/1 ratio had a negative effect.[6] A ratio of 2.5/1 reduced rectal cell proliferation in patients with colorectal cancer, whereas a ratio of 4/1 had no effect.[6]
Excess n−6 fats interfere with the health benefits of n−3 fats, in part because they compete for the same rate-limiting enzymes. A high proportion of n−6 to n−3 fat in the diet shifts the physiological state in the tissues toward the pathogenesis of many diseases: prothrombotic, proinflammatory and proconstrictive.[8]
Chronic excessive production of n−6 eicosanoids is associated with arthritis, inflammation, and cancer. Many of the medications used to treat and manage these conditions work by blocking the effects of the potent n−6 fat, arachidonic acid.[9] Many steps in formation and action of n-6 hormones from n-6 arachidonic acid proceed more vigorously than the corresponding competitive steps in formation and action of n-3 hormones from n-3 eicosapentaenoic acid.[10] The COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitor medications, used to treat inflammation and pain, work by preventing the COX enzymes from turning arachidonic acid into inflammatory compounds.[11] (See Cyclooxygenase for more information.) The LOX inhibitor medications often used to treat asthma, work by preventing the LOX enzyme from converting arachidonic acid into the leukotrienes.[12][13] Many of the anti-mania medications used to treat bipolar disorder work by targeting the arachidonic acid cascade in the brain.[14]
A high consumption of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are found in most types of vegetable oil, may increase the likelihood that postmenopausal women will develop breast cancer.[15] Similar effect was observed on prostate cancer.[16] Another "analysis suggested an inverse association between total polyunsaturated fatty acids and breast cancer risk, but individual polyunsaturated fatty acids behaved differently [from each other]. [...] a 20:2 derivative of linoleic acid [...] was inversely associated with the risk of breast cancer".[17]

[jenny2008]

so basically you are saying omega 6 evan as GLA can cause more inflammation? hat is what my doc keeps telling me.. just want to make sure???

[PotatoCakes]

yes. It causes more inflammation