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Inflammation is one of the biggest drivers of today’s major health problems. Many conditions – such as obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, blood clots, stroke, autoimmune diseases, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease are connected to inflammation that stays too high for too long.

These health problems affect everyone, but not equally. Differences in lifestyle, environment, and genetics all contribute to the amount of inflammation a person experiences.

Black people in the United States experience higher rates of several inflammatory conditions, and one major reason is how the body processes certain fats. This article explains the science in simple terms and helps people understand how this affects health today.

Health Disparities Are Not Random

Research shows clear differences between Black and white Americans regarding diseases linked to inflammation:

• • About 58% of Black adults have high blood pressure compared with 49% of white adults.
  • About 57% of Black women live with obesity compared with about 40% of white women.
  • Black older adults experience higher rates of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
  • Black Americans also face higher rates of cancer, stroke, heart disease, and blood clots.

These diseases all involve inflammation. While many factors contribute to health outcomes, one important difference involves how the body handles essential fats.

A Historical Look at How Black Ancestry Shaped Fat Intake

To understand inflammation today, it helps to understand two essential fats the body needs:

• • Omega-3 fatty acids
  • Omega-6 fatty acids

The body cannot make these fats; we must get them from food. Both are important, but the balance between them matters.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3s help calm inflammation and support healing. They are found in:

• • Fish
  • Animals that eat grass
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Certain plants
  • High-quality supplements like BalanceOil+

Omega-3s also help the body produce resolvins, which turn off inflammation. You’ll learn more about these powerful inflammation-stopping chemicals later in the article.

Omega-6 Fatty Acids

Omega-6 fats are also essential. However, there is a big difference between:

Natural omega-6 fats, found in foods like walnuts and seeds
and
Highly processed omega-6 fats, found in:

• • Soybean oil
  • Corn oil
  • Cottonseed oil
  • Canola oil
  • Frying oils
  • Most processed foods

The harmful form is the highly processed linoleic acid from seed oils, not the natural omega-6 found in whole foods.

How Diet Changed Over Time

Long ago, many African ancestors lived near lakes, rivers, and coastlines. Their diets were naturally high in omega-3 because they ate:

• • Fish
  • Grass-fed animals
  • Wild plants rich in healthy fats

This kept omega-3 and omega-6 balanced and inflammation low.

As people moved inland, fish became less available. Then, during the Industrial Revolution, diets changed again:

• • Animals were fed grain instead of grass
  • Omega-3 levels in food dropped
  • Seed oils replaced traditional fats
  • Processed and fried foods became common

As a result, omega-6 intake increased, and omega-3 intake decreased.

Today, many Black families in the U.S. eat:

• • Less fish
  • Less grass-fed meat
  • More fried foods
  • More fast food
  • More processed snacks
  • More seed oils

This creates far more omega-6 “fuel” and fewer omega-3 “calming” fats.

Think of It Like This

Omega-6 is the spark that starts inflammation.
Omega-3 is the water that helps calm it down.
Processed seed oils act like gasoline on the fire.

The Two Enzymes That Matter: FADS1 and FADS2

The body uses two important enzymes:

• • Fatty Acid Desaturase 1 (FADS1)
  • Fatty Acid Desaturase 2 (FADS2)

These enzymes act like factory workers, helping convert omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids into various signaling compounds. Omega-6 can turn into inflammatory molecules, while omega-3 turns into anti-inflammatory and inflammation-resolving molecules.

Rapid Metabolizers

Some people have “fast” versions of these enzymes. Their bodies turn omega-6 fats into inflammatory chemicals very quickly.

These individuals are called rapid metabolizers.

About 80% of Black Americans are rapid metabolizers. This means:

• • Omega-6 becomes inflammatory chemicals faster
  • More chemicals that turn inflammation on are produced (prostaglandins and leukotrienes)
  • Fewer chemicals that turn inflammation off are produced (resolvins)
  • Inflammation builds more easily

Think of It Like This

A rapid metabolizer’s system burns fuel fast.
If the fuel is healthy, the flame is controlled.
If the fuel is seed oil, the flame spreads quickly.

What Are Eicosanoids?

Eicosanoids are chemicals made from fats. They control inflammation in the body.

There are two main types:

• • Pro-inflammatory eicosanoids, which turn inflammation on
  • Pro-resolving eicosanoids, which help turn inflammation off

Rapid metabolizers produce more inflammation-promoting eicosanoids when eating a modern diet high in processed omega-6s.

What Are Resolvins?

Resolvins are special chemicals made from omega-3 fats:

• • Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)
  • Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

They were discovered by Dr. Charles Serhan at Harvard Medical School.

Resolvins:

• • Turn inflammation off
  • Help tissues heal
  • Keep inflammation from spreading

Your body cannot make resolvins without enough omega-3.

Proinflammatory Cytokines

Cytokines are small proteins that the immune system uses to send messages throughout the body. Some cytokines help protect you. Others, called proinflammatory cytokines, raise inflammation levels.

Examples include:

• • Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α)
  • Interleukin-6 (IL-6)
  • Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β)

Processed omega-6 fatty acids from seed oils can increase these cytokines, which raises inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids help reduce these cytokines and support healthier immune signaling.

Why People Know the Word “Cytokine” Now

During the COVID-19 pandemic and discussions about COVID-19 vaccines, many people heard the term “cytokine storm.” This refers to a sudden, extreme increase in proinflammatory cytokines. While cytokine storms are rare, the idea helped the public understand that too many cytokines can be harmful.

Chronic inflammation works the same way but on a smaller scale:

• • Instead of a sudden storm,
  • It becomes a slow, ongoing “smoldering fire.”

Diet, especially too much processed omega-6 and too little omega-3, can keep these cytokines elevated day after day.

This helps explain why balancing fatty acids is one of the most important steps for reducing inflammation and protecting long-term health.

The Modern Problem: Too Much Omega-6, Too Little Omega-3

The modern food system contains large amounts of processed linoleic acid. This leads to:

• • More inflammation
  • More inflammatory chemicals
  • Fewer resolvins
  • Higher cytokines
  • Higher disease risk

 This helps explain why Black rapid metabolizers often face:

• • Weight gain
  • High blood pressure
  • Heart disease
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Stroke
  • Blood clots
  • Asthma and eczema
  • Dementia

This is not about personal failure. It is about biology mixed with modern food.

Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio

Traditional diets had a balance close to 1:1.
Modern diets are often 20:1 or even 30:1.

This imbalance raises inflammation and disease risk.

Why Fried Foods Hit Rapid Metabolizers Harder

Most fried foods use oils with extremely high levels of processed omega-6. Rapid metabolizers turn these fats into inflammatory chemicals very quickly. As a result, fried foods can cause more inflammation in rapid metabolizers.

How to Know If You Are a Rapid Metabolizer

1. Genetic Test: FADS1 and FADS2

Shows whether your enzymes are “fast” or “slow.”

2. Omega-6 to Omega-3 Blood Test

Tests like the BalanceTest measure:

• • Omega-6 levels
  • Omega-3 levels
  • Arachidonic Acid (AA)
  • Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA)
  • AA:EPA ratio
  • Total fatty acids

3. Population Patterns

About 80% of Black Americans are rapid metabolizers.

4. Health Patterns

Rapid metabolizers often experience:

• • High blood pressure
  • Diabetes
  • Asthma
  • Eczema
  • Heart disease

The Good News: You Can Change Your Fatty Acid Balance

You cannot change your genes, but you can change what you put into your body.

When you reduce processed omega-6 and increase omega-3:

• • More resolvins are made
  • Cytokines decrease
  • Inflammation drops
  • Weight becomes easier to control
  • Insulin sensitivity improves
  • Brown fat activates (helping burn calories)
  • Heart and brain health improve

This is why increasing omega-3 intake – especially from high-quality, food-based sources like BalanceOil+ – can make a meaningful difference.

Simple Summary

• • Most Black Americans are rapid metabolizers.
  • Modern diets contain too much processed omega-6.
  • Omega-3 helps create resolvins, which calm inflammation.
  • Seed oils increase inflammation.
  • Balancing omega-6 and omega-3 is one of the most powerful steps you can take to improve health.
  • This information benefits everyone, not just Black communities.

What to Do Next

To learn more about our free protocol that helps you calm inflammation and rebalance your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, or to learn more about our nutrition plans and how to become a client, email me at robert@dietfreelife.com. You can also schedule a free consultation.

If someone shared this article with you, reach out to them as well. They may be one of our certified coaches or partners, trained to help people apply the information you learned in this article.

References

1. 1. Alzheimer’s Association. (2024). Race, ethnicity, and Alzheimer’s disease.
   2. Calder, P. C. (2006). n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation, and inflammatory diseases. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(6), 1505S–1519S.
   3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Obesity prevalence by race and sex.
   4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). High blood pressure facts.
   5. Fritsche, K. (2008). Linoleic acid and inflammation. Journal of Nutrition, 138(9), 1716S–1721S.
   6. Hibbeln, J. R., et al. (2006). Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in evolution and health. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(6), 1483S–1493S.
   7. JAMA Network. (2022). Racial disparities in dementia incidence.
   8. Kohli, P., & Levy, B. D. (2009). Resolvins and protectins in inflammation resolution. Circulation Research, 105(11), 1021–1033.
   9. MacLean, C. H., et al. (2004). Effects of omega-3s on metabolism and weight.
   10. Schmitz, G., & Ecker, J. (2008). Opposing effects of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. Progress in Lipid Research.
   11. Serhan, C. N. (2014). Pro-resolving lipid mediators. Nature, 510(7503), 92–101.
   12. Serhan, C. N., & Chiang, N. (2008). Endogenous anti-inflammatory mediators. British Journal of Pharmacology.
   13. Simopoulos, A. P. (2006). Evolutionary aspects of diet: the omega-6/omega-3 ratio, genetic variation, and chronic disease.
   14. Simopoulos, A. P. (2011). Omega-6/omega-3 balance in health and disease: Evolutionary view.
   15. Warensjö, E., et al. (2014). Adipose tissue linoleic acid and obesity risk. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

________
Robert Ferguson is a California- and Florida-based single father of two daughters, clinical nutritionist, Omega Balancing Coach™, researcher, best-selling author, speaker, podcast and television host, health advisor, NAACP Image Award Nominee, creator of the Diet Free Life methodology, and Chief Nutrition Officer for iCoura Health. He also serves on the Presidential Task Force on Obesity for the National Medical Association and the Health and Product Advisory Board for Zinzino, Inc.

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