Discover the powerful benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids, a vital nutrient that can reduce inflammation, lower Alzheimer's risk, and improve heart health.
Learn how this simple at-home blood spot test can reveal if you're getting enough omega-3s to protect your eyes, manage autoimmune symptoms, and enhance overall well-being.
Track Your Omega-3s and Optimize Your Health with the Omega-3 Index Plus Test
Omega-3s and Omega-6s are critical nutrients that our bodies cannot make on their own. We must get them from our diet.
Of particular concern is adequate Omega-3s in the diet.
Do you know what your Omega-3 Index is? Testing is the only way to know if what you’re doing between diet and supplementation is getting you into the desirable range. Read on to learn how important this nutrient is for so many aspects of your health and how you can better your overall health.
Benefits of Balanced Omega-3s
The ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is important. And imbalances are quite common. We tend to get an overabundance of Omega-6s and too little Omega-3s. It’s estimated the ratio of these essential fatty acids in the Western Diet is as high as 20:1. What’s considered optimal for health is 1:1 to 4:1.
There are multiple benefits to favorable Omega-3 Index including:
Modulates chronic inflammation: Inflammation is an underlying factor in most health conditions
Decreases autoimmune symptoms: Autoimmune disease affects 20% of the U.S. population
Supports healthy cognitive function: Helps lower the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
Cardio protective: Helps lower the risk of blood clots, cardiovascular disease, and arrhythmias
Eye health: Lowers the risk of age-related macular degeneration
Modulates response to pain: Studies have shown high levels of Omega-3s help lower joint pain in those with osteoarthritis and autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis
Dietary Recommendations
Current recommendations call for eating food rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. There are plant-based sources (ALA) – primarily nuts, seed, and algae. And there are fish sources (EPA and DHA) – particularly anchovies, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines, and trout.
Eat EPA and DHA-rich fish AT LEAST 2X per week
Eat ALA-rich nuts and seeds daily
Consider supplementation:
2-3 grams/day
Combo of EPA and DHA
Take with meals in divided doses
These recommendations are GENERAL recommendations. And you are an individual with a unique set of genetics and physiological requirements for this essential nutrient. Eating fish or taking supplements does not guarantee that your Omega-3 Index will be in the desirable range. It must be tested.
Causes of Omega-3 Deficiency
There are several potential reasons why you may need more than the general recommendations for Omega-3s in your diet. It’s more complex than just meeting the recommended grams per day or servings of fish per week. There are conditions throughout the body that influence how much your body needs and how efficiently your body is using Omega-3s.
Liver Health – The liver is the center of regulation for all fatty acids. And the liver is a large busy organ responsible for performing more than 500 vital functions. Diet, caffeine intake, drugs and alcohol, medications, and chemicals in the environment are all processed by this organ. Liver congestion is not uncommon.
Impaired Absorption – Any digestive condition that impairs absorption of nutrients can negatively affect the status of Omega-3s. This includes intestinal permeability (a.k.a. leaky gut) in addition to autoimmune conditions such as celiac disease, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn’s disease.
Poor Micronutrient Status – There are additional nutrients that are needed for he body to efficiently process Omega-3s. These include zinc and vitamin E. Functionally low zinc is more common in those with impaired intestinal absorption, high alcohol use, persistent diarrhea, or those who are vegetarian or vegan.
Genetic Polymorphisms in Fatty Acid Enzymes – Enzymes are proteins that speed up chemical reactions in your body, making them happen faster than they would otherwise. Without enzymes, some reactions wouldn't occur at all, or they'd be too slow to sustain life. For example, there is a specific enzyme that converts the Omega-3 fatty acid ALA to the Omega-3 fatty acid EPA. The whys of this conversion are another topic, but it’s the body’s ingenious way of working to maintain balance all the time. However, there can be genetic alterations called single nucleotide polymorphism, or SNP (pronounced "snip") that affect the function of these fatty acid enzymes. The result can be impaired conversion and less efficient metabolism of these essential fatty acids.
How Does the Omega-3 Index Test Work?
You can use the Omega-3 Index Blood Test to measure the presence of Omega-3 fatty acids in your reb blood cells. This is the first step toward ensuring that your index is in the desirable range. With your Omega-3 Index results, you’ll have the tools to adjust your Omega-3 intake and retest in as little as 4-6 months to track how the dietary changes affect your Omega-3 Index. The test measures:
Omega-3 Index
Trans Fat Index
Omega-6 to Omega-3 Ratio
Arachidonic Acid to EPA Ratio
The process is simple. When you receive your test kit, register it online. Watch a 4-minute video that walks you through how to collect the blood sample. Mail the sample the same day and receive your results online in about two weeks. Your results will include a detailed report of what each test means and how to modify your diet or supplementation if our results are below the desired range.
If you’d like nutritional support to review your results, you can book a 30-minute appointment with me and we’ll evaluate your results together and determine if you need to adjust your Omega-3 intake and/or supplementation.
Improvement starts with measurement.
Track your Omega-3s and optimize your health with the Omega-3 Index Plus Test.
To get started, book a free 30-minute nutritional consultation with me and we’ll get this process started.
