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Common Foods Highest in Omega-6 Fatty Acids

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Omega-6 fatty acids are essential fats, meaning that we need to obtain them from our diet.

In this guide, we’ll present the foods with the highest concentrations of omega-6 per 100 grams and per common household measure.

However, there are two primary types of omega-6, each with distinct properties. These are linoleic acid (LA) and arachidonic acid (AA). For this reason, we’ll present you with the data in two ways:

  1. Foods highest in linoleic acid
  2. Foods highest in arachidonic acid

The USDA’s FoodData Central database is the source of nutritional data. For cooked foods, we have used data for dry cooking methods (like grilling) rather than frying, so that the omega-6 content is for the specific food alone.

Table of contents

Foods High in Linoleic Acid

Linoleic acid (LA) is a form of omega-6 found in the highest amounts in plant-based foods. However, since animals consume plants containing it, it is also present in animal-based foods in lower quantities.

A 2020 systematic review of 38 studies demonstrated that higher circulating levels of linoleic acid in the blood are associated with better health outcomes. To be specific, this meant a lower risk of cardiovascular, cancer, and total mortality.

However, it is worth noting that deep-fried foods, which are often high in linoleic acid, are associated with a higher mortality risk. In other words, for health purposes, the source of linoleic acid is likely important; foods like nuts and seeds are better choices than fried chicken.

We’ll list twenty foods high in linoleic acid, but first here’s a table of the top ten in this guide for your quick reference.

Food Linoleic acid per 100g Total Omega-6 per 100g
1. Grapeseed oil 69.6g 69.6g
2. Sunflower oil 65.7g 65.7g
3. Corn oil 53.2g 53.5g
4. Soybean oil 50.1g 50.3g
5. Sesame oil 41.3g 41.3g
6. Mayonnaise 38.9g 39.1g
7. Walnuts 38.1g 38.1g
8. Brazil nuts 23.9g 24.4g
9. Sunflower seeds 23.0g 23.0g
10. Pecans 20.6g 20.6g
Table 1: Foods high in omega-6 linoleic acid per 100g

1. Grapeseed Oil

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 13.6g tablespoon
69.6g 9.47g

Source: USDA – Oil, grapeseed

2. Sunflower Oil

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 13.6g tablespoon
65.7g 8.94g

Source: USDA – Oil, sunflower, linoleic

3. Corn Oil

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 13.6g tablespoon
53.2g 7.24g

Source: USDA – Oil, corn

4. Soybean Oil

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 13.6g tablespoon
50.1g 6.81g

Source: USDA – Oil, vegetable, soybean, refined

5. Sesame Oil

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 13.6g tablespoon
41.3g 5.62g

Source: USDA – Oil, sesame

6. Mayonnaise

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 13.8g tablespoon
38.9g 5.37g

Note: Most mayonnaise products use a highly polyunsaturated oil, such as soybean, canola, or sunflower oil, as their primary ingredient. That’s why mayonnaise is commonly high in omega-6. See the larger note at the end of this list for more in-depth information.

Source: USDA – Salad dressing, mayonnaise, regular

7. Walnuts

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per ounce (28.35g)
38.1g 10.8g

Source: USDA – Nuts, walnuts, English

8. Brazil Nuts

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per ounce (28.35g)
23.9g 6.78g

Source: USDA – Brazil nuts, dried

9. Sunflower Seeds

Linoleic acid per 100g Per ounce (28.35g)
23.0g 6.52g

Source: USDA – Seeds, sunflower seed kernels

10. Pecans

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per ounce (28.35g)
20.6g 5.84g

Source: USDA – Nuts, pecans

11. Canola Oil

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 14g tablespoon
18.6g 2.6g

Note: The reason why canola oil isn’t quite as high in linoleic acid as the previous oils is its fatty acid composition. Canola oil contains higher proportional amounts of the monounsaturated fat oleic acid, which is also found in olive oil.

Source: USDA – Oil, canola

12. Coleslaw

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 19g tablespoon
16.7g 3.17g

Source: USDA – Salad dressing, coleslaw

13. Peanuts

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per ounce (28.35g)
15.6g 4.42g

Source: USDA – Peanuts, all types, raw

14. Potato Chips

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per ounce (28.35g)
15.2g 4.31g

Source: USDA – Snack, potato chips, plain

15. Peanut Butter

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per tbsp (16g)
13.9g 2.22g

Source: USDA – Peanut butter, chunk style

16. Pistachio Nuts

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per ounce (28.35g)
13.1g 3.71g

Source: USDA – Nuts, pistachio, dry roasted

17. Tortilla Chips

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per ounce (28.35g)
8.86g 2.51g

Source: USDA – Snacks, tortilla chips, white corn

18. Chicken Skin

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 1/2 chicken
(56g, skin only)
7.83g 4.38g

Source: USDA – skin only, roasted

19. Cashew Nuts

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per ounce (28.35g)
7.66g 2.17g

Source: USDA – Nuts, cashew, dry roasted

20. Hummus

Linoleic acid per 100g Linoleic acid per 15g tablespoon
8.06g 1.21g

Source: USDA – Hummus, commercial

Nutritionist’s Note

While the above nutritional data for linoleic acid is typically true, it may vary slightly with ultra-processed food products like potato chips and mayonnaise.

This is because the USDA data showing the linoleic acid content for these products is an average figure based on the most typical products. As mayonnaise and potato chips typically contain highly polyunsaturated oils (like sunflower, soybean, and canola oil), they are high in linoleic acid.

However, products made with monounsaturated fats like olive and avocado oil will contain lower amounts of linoleic acid.

Foods High in Arachidonic Acid

Arachidonic acid (AA) is found in animal-based foods and is more biologically active than linoleic acid. It has roles in inflammation, brain health, and the functioning of the body’s cells.

Although arachidonic acid is important for human health, it is important to also consume sufficient levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. Ideally these should be EPA and DHA, the fatty acids found in foods like oily fish. This is because a higher blood level of EPA and DHA relative to AA, known as the EPA/AA ratio, is associated with better cardiovascular health outcomes.

While the absolute amount of arachidonic acid in foods is much smaller than linoleic acid, this can be misleading without understanding the appropriate context.

In this regard, arachidonic acid is sometimes known as a “preformed” omega-6. This is because linoleic acid requires conversion to arachidonic acid in the body, whereas arachidonic acid is already in a “usable” form of omega-6.

Only small amounts of linoleic acid are converted to arachidonic acid, with a typical conversion rate estimated at less than 1%. For this reason, foods high in arachidonic acid have a much larger impact on blood levels of arachidonic acid than foods even with very high linoleic acid levels.

First, here’s a table of the top ten foods rich in arachidonic acid. Following the table, you will be able to see a breakdown of each one.

Food Arachdonic acid per 100g Total omega-6 per 100g
1. Atlantic salmon (farmed) 1.27g 1.94g
2. Chicken liver 0.51g 1.23g
3. Beef kidney 0.44g 1.07g
4. Turkey bacon 0.18g 6.36g
5. Eggs 0.15g 1.34g
6. Ground turkey 0.13g 2.69g
7. Eel 0.12g 0.37g
8. Pork belly 0.12g 4.92g
9. Turkey sausage 0.11g 3.45g
10. Chicken skin 0.11g 7.94g
Table 2: Common foods high in omega-6 arachidonic acid per 100g

Nutritionist’s Note

You may notice that we only present ten foods high in arachidonic acid below rather than twenty like for linoleic acid.

This is simply because linoleic acid is much more prevalent across a wider range of foods. For arachidonic acid, we wanted to list the foods with the absolute highest amounts rather than just a long list of foods with much smaller amounts.

In addition to these foods high in arachidonic acid, you’ll also find it in processed foods that contain these ingredients. Baked products using eggs, liver spreads, and smoked salmon are some good examples of arachidonic acid-rich foods, as are any chicken products with skin.

1. Atlantic Salmon

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 178g 1/2 fillet
1.27g 2.26g

Source: USDA – Fish, salmon, Atlantic, farmed

2. Chicken Liver

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 3oz (85g)
0.51g 0.43g

Source: USDA – Chicken, liver, cooked

3. Beef Kidney

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 3oz (85g)
0.44g 0.38g

Source: USDA – Beef, kidney, cooked

4. Turkey Bacon

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 14g slice
0.18g 0.025g

Source: USDA – Turkey bacon, cooked

5. Eggs

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 50g egg
0.15g 0.07g

Source: USDA – Egg, whole, cooked, hard-boiled

6. Ground Turkey

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 3oz (85g)
0.13g 0.11g

Source: USDA – Turkey, ground, cooked

Note: These values may change depending on the specific fat content of the ground turkey; the USDA database figures above are an average.

7. Eel

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 159g fillet
0.12g 0.19g

Source: USDA – Eel, mixed species, cooked

8. Pork Belly

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 3oz (85g)
0.12g 0.10g

Source: USDA – Pork belly

9. Turkey Sausage

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 75g link
0.11g 0.08g

Source: USDA – Turkey or chicken sausage

Note: Remember that these are average arachidonic content as per USDA data. As a processed food product, turkey sausages may be higher or lower in fat depending on the brand.

10. Chicken Skin

Arachidonic acid per 100g Arachidonic acid per 1/2 chicken
(56g, skin only)
0.11g 0.06g

Source: USDA – Chicken, skin only, cooked

Summary

The two primary forms of omega-6 fatty acids are called linoleic acid and arachidonic acid. While arachidonic acid is found solely in animal-based foods, linoleic acid is predominantly in plant-based foods but also occurs in animal foods.

The foods highest in linoleic acid include most nuts, seeds, and oils made from them. In contrast, foods like salmon, eggs, liver, and kidney are the richest sources of arachidonic acid.

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