It is no exaggeration to say people almost cannot eat meal without oil and meat in our daily diet. However, when it comes to choosing oil and meat that are beneficial for body, most of you may have no idea, dumbfounded and dazed (Figure 1). Eating habit is closely related to health, there is no reason to not pay attention to it.

Polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) are crucial components of the food and diet. PUFA are classified into two series, n-6 and n-3 PUFA. It has been widely accepted that the present diet is low in n-3 fatty acids and high in n-6 fatty acids, which is associated with the development of cardiovascular, metabolic and neuropsychiatric disorders. Therefore, supplying high-quality animal-derived foods with an appropriate balance of the n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio for consumers is required for improving health status of humans.

Recently, a team of researchers from China Agricultural University, the Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISA) conducted a study to investigate the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio in ration for livestock animals to maintain an appropriate balance of the n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio in animal products and provide new insight to improve the health of humans.

The researchers found that optimal n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio is 1:1 to 5:1. This ratio facilitated the absorption and utilization of fatty acids and free amino acids, leading to an improved muscle: adipose ratio of the body. This will result in the production of improved pork quality from the pig industry and consequently improved the health status of humans.

The research was the jointly supported by National Basic Research Program of China (2012CB124704 and 2013CB127305), the National Nature Science Foundation of China (31372325, 31110103909 and 31330075) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Professorships for Senior International Scientists (2013T2S0012).

The study entitled “Effects of dietary n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio on fatty acid composition, free amino acid profile and gene expression of transporters in finishing pigs” has been published in Volume 113, issue 5, March 2015 of British Journal of Nutrition, details could be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007114514004346. A related study entitled “n-6: n-3 PUFA ratio is involved in regulating lipid metabolism and inflammation in pigs” could be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0007114513002584.

                        Figure 1 Common edible oil