Health Hotline Magazine | November 2025

By Liz Mueller

Aging is a fact of life. Aging with cognitive decline doesn’t have to be. It’s true that genetics can play a role in cognitive decline, memory loss, and conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, but what’s becoming increasingly clear is the role that nutrition—particularly the balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids we consume—plays in how well, or unwell, our brains age. By increasing our intake of omega-3s and decreasing dietary omega-6s, which are consumed in excess in our modern diet, we can prioritize brain health now to preserve it well into the future.

A Modern Imbalance We’ve made a lot of advances over the last 100 years, but our omega-6 to omega-3 ratio isn’t one of them; in fact, 100 years ago, we were actually better o in terms of our omega-6:3 ratio. That’s because back then, humans consumed omega-6s and omega-3s at around a 4:1 ratio, fast forward to today, and the typical Western diet is now providing a 20:1 ratio in favor of omega-6s. For some perspective, in 1909, soybean oil (a major source of omega-6s) provided 0.006 percent of calories in the average American diet, but by 1999, soybean oil contributed to more than 7 percent of total calories—this represents a 1,000-fold increase in consumption.

OMEGA- TO OMEGA- RATIO IN WESTERN DIETS

100 Years Ago 4:1 (Balanced)

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 3

Today 20:1 (Unbalanced)

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 6

OMEGA 3

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