I thought it would be fun to test my fatty acid profile. I have been supplementing with about a gram of fish oil a day and eating fish every week. I sent a sample of my blood to a company called OmegaQuant to see how I’m doing. I was fairly pleased with the results. I was on the high side for omega 3s, which is good, but not as high as my “target rate.” I was also pleased that my trans fats were relatively low, which is a sign of my good food choices. Here is the run down:
Fatty Acid Profile Results
HS-Omega-3 Index® = 7.5%
Reference Range*: 0.5% – 10.6%
Your HS-Omega-3 Index is below the target range of 8%. You are advised to increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids.
Omega-3 fatty acids are found primarily in fish, especially “oily” fish such as those in bold in the accompanying table. The two most important omega-3 fatty acids are EPA and DHA. The amount of EPA+DHA you would need to take in order to raise your HS-Omega-3 Index into the target range (>8%) cannot be predicted with certainty. Many factors – age, sex, weight, dietary and genetic factors, smoking, medications you may be taking, other medical conditions, etc. – all can influence your body’s response to additional EPA+DHA.
Nevertheless, we would recommend that you increase your current EPA+DHA intake by 1⁄2 – 1 gram (500 – 1000 mg) per day. This can be accomplished in two ways: eating more oily fish and/or taking fish oil supplements. The table lists the approximate amount of EPA and DHA per 3-oz. serving of a variety of sea foods and in dietary supplements.
It should be noted that omega-3 fatty acids from flaxseed oil (alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA) will have little to no effect on your HS-Omega-3 Index. Therefore, ALA is not an effective substitute for EPA and DHA.
The only way to know how your body will respond to an increased intake of EPA+DHA is to measure your HS-Omega-3 Index again. You should wait for 3-4 months before re-testing in order to give your system time to adjust to your increased intake. Once you have achieved your target HS-Omega-3 Index you should re-check your values on an annual basis.
Dried Blood Spot Fatty Acid Profile
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Alpha-Linolenic Eicosapentaenoic Docosapentaenoic-n3 Docosahexaenoic Range*: 0.0% – 12.8%
(18:3n3) 0.1 % (EPA, 20:5n3) 2.3 % (22:5n3) 2.2 % (DHA, 22:6n3) 4.7 %
Total: 9.3 %
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids
Palmitoleic Oleic Eicosenoic Nervonic Range*: 11.6% – 30.3%
(16:1n7) (18:1n9) (20:1n9) (24:1n9)
0.3 % 15.1 % 0.2 % 0.1 % Total: 15.7 %
Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Linoleic Gamma-Linolenic Eicosadienoic Dihomo-y-linolenic Arachidonic Docosatetraenoic Docosapentaenoic-n6 Range*: 26.1% – 51.2%
(18:2n6) (18:3n6) (20:2n6) (20:3n6) (AA, 20:4n6) (22:4n6) (22:5n6)
15.8 % 0.1 % 0.3 % 1.4 %
13.5 % 2.0 % 0.2 %
Total: 33.3 %
Saturated Fatty Acids
Myristic Palmitic Stearic Arachidic Behenic Lignoceric Range*: 26.0% – 38.5%
(14:0) (16:0) (18:0) (20:0) (22:0) (24:0)
0.4 % 24.9 % 15.3 %
0.1 % 0.1 % 0.1 %
Total: 40.9 %
Trans Fatty Acids
Trans Palmitoleic Trans Oleic Trans Linoleic Range*: 0.0% – 4.8%
(16:1n7t) (18:1t) (18:2n6t)
0.1 % 0.6 % 0.4 %
Total: 1.1 %
Fatty Acids Ratios
Omega-6:Omega-3 (0.0 – 14.9)* 3.6 AA:EPA (0.0 – 59.1)* 5.9
The Content of EPA and DHA (in mg) in Commonly Consumed Types of Fish1 and in Fish Oil Supplements (per 3 oz/85 g serving)
Fish and Seafood: Atlantic Salmon (farmed)2 Pacific Herring Atlantic Herring Atlantic Salmon (wild) Bluefin Tuna Pink Salmon (wild) Coho Salmon (farmed)2 Mackerel (canned) Sockeye Salmon (wild) Chum Salmon (canned) Rainbow Trout (farmed)2 Coho Salmon (wild) Sardines (canned) Albacore (or White) Tuna (canned)3 Shark (raw) Swordfish3 Sea Bass Pollock Flat fish (Flounder/sole) Blue Crab Halibut Oysters (farmed)2 King Crab Walleye Dungeness Crab Scallops Skipjack Tuna Mixed Shrimp Clams Yellowfin Tuna Light Chunk Tuna Catfish (wild) Catfish (farmed)2 Cod Mahi-Mahi (dolphin fish) Tilapia Orange Roughy
OmegaQuant LLC 2329 N Career Ave Suite 113 Sioux Falls, SD 57107 USA