According to an article in today's Washington Post, "the debate arose because arachidonic acid, a component of omega-6 fatty acids, is a building block for some inflammation-related molecules, and there have been fears that it might increase the risk of heart disease." But according to William S. Harris, director of the Metabolism and Nutrition Research Center of the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine:

"That reflects a rather naive understanding of the biochemistry. Omega-6 fatty acids give rise to both pro-inflammatory compounds and anti-inflammatory compounds. To say that they are bad because they produce pro-inflammatory compounds ignores the fact that they give rise to anti-inflammatory compounds as well."