According to some medical researches, excessive levels of n-6 fatty acids or omega 6, relative to n-3 fatty acids, may increase the probability of a number of diseases and depression.

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.