Bottomline: An excellent review and primer on how the balance between dietary omega-6 fats to omega-3 fats  becomes a pathway to chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, cancer,  inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.  Or conversely, a lower omega-6 fat to omega-3 fat ratio has suppressive effects on the disease process. Experimental Biology and Medicine 2008 233: 674-688

For example:

• Asthma patients eating a ratio of 5:1 (omega-6/omega-3 fat) experience improvement in symptoms, but a higher ratio of 10/1 had adverse consequences.
  

•  In patients with colorectal cancer, a dietary ratio of 2.5/1 (omega-6/omega-3 fat)reduced the spread of aberrant  cells, but a sightly higher dietary ratio of 4/1  (with the same amount of omega-3 fat) conferred no benefit.

•  A ratio of 4/1 was associated with a 70% decrease in total death rates in patients with heart disease.

Conclusion: A lower ratio of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids reduces the risk of many of the chronic diseases  prevalent in Western societies, as well as in the developing countries.  The optimal ratio may vary with the different diseases and genetics of the individual.

Link to Abstract:
Simopoulos, The Importance of the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio in Cardiovascular Disease and Other Chronic Diseases, Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2008, 233 (6), p. 674

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