Going back in time to how people used to eat, scientists now say that there may be a biological basis for monitoring what fatty acids one takes based on the diet of pre-historic humans.

omega-3 fatty acids have been studied for their role in reducing inflammation, but based on anthropological studies, researchers at Wake Forest University and other Institutions found that it may be the ratio of omega-3s to meat and vegetable oil-based Omega-6 fatty acids that could be causing certain health conditions.

Noting that normally the ratio was two to one in favor of omega-6 for early humans, the scientists at Wake found that it was now 10 to one in modern diets, and in a five-week study, tried to determine the benefits of going back to the more even distribution.

Lead author Kelly Weaver and the others found that when supplementing participant’s diets with fish oil and other omega-3 supplements, the likelihood for allergy-related inflammation and other conditions was reduced because of the effect on certain gene regulation.