Unbalanced omega-6/omega-3 ratio in red meat products in China

Abstract

Dietary meats play a crucial role in human health. The objective of this survey was to determine the fatty acid content and omega-6/omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6/n-3 PUFA) ratio of fresh red meat (beef and pork) from four cities (Shanghai, Nanjing, Yinchuan and Hohhot) in China. The results showed that the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio from all the samples ranged from 6 to 23. The total n-6 PUFA concentrations ranged from 290.54 mg/100 g in beef from Nanjing to 1601.48 mg/100 g in pork from Hohhot, whereas the total concentrations of n-3 PUFA ranged from 46.34 mg/100 g in beef from Nanjing to 96.03 mg/100 g in pork from Nanjing. The results indicated that the n-6/n-3 ratio in the red meat from all four regions is unbalanced and is much higher than that (< 5:1) recommended by the WHO/FAO. The total amount of n-3 PUFA was far lower than the required daily dose. Therefore, potential solutions to increase the n-3 PUFA content in meat products or to provide alternative source of n-3 PUFA should be explored.