In January 2009, the American Heart Association issued a scientific advisory recommending that a minimum 5 to 10 percent of calories be obtained from omega-6 fatty acids. This fatty acid is found in nuts, seeds and vegetables, nut- and seed-based oils such as peanut oil, soybean oil, safflower oil and canola oil. The advice was based on a meta-analysis of randomized, controlled studies showing that people who ate the most omega-6 fatty acids had the least amount of heart disease, and that people with heart disease had lower levels of omega-6 in their blood than healthy people. Replacing saturated fats from meat, full-fat dairy products, coconut oil and palm oil with omega-6 sources lowered the risk of heart attack by 24 percent.
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