Aaron Hartman, MDFunctional Medicine Specialist | Clinical Researcher

Omega-3 vs Omega-6: The Balance Your Body Needs #shorts

12 Mar 2026 · 1 min

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In this short video, Dr. Aaron Hartman explains the complementary roles of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. He describes omega-3s as anti‑inflammatory agents that help resolve inflammation after an injury or infection, while omega-6s are pro‑inflammatory fatty acids that are essential for initiating the acute inflammatory response needed for healing. Hartman emphasizes that both types are necessary, but they must come from clean, healthy sources and be consumed in a balanced ratio so that inflammation can start when needed and be shut down appropriately.

Chapters

So everybody knows about omega-3s, how healthy omega-3s are. They're anti-inflammatory. Omega-6s are the yin and the yang, right? Omega-3s are your anti-inflammatory fatty acid. Omega-6s are your pro-inflammatory fatty acid. You need healthy omega-6s, actually. When you get an infection, you need an inflammatory response. When you get an injury, injure something, you get a cut, you need an inflammatory response to start the healing process. You actually need these clean sources of omega-6s. And then when the healing is done and the infection is gone, you need the omega-3 sources and the products of the omega-3s to come block out the inflammation.