Omega-3 total

Optimal Result: 5.4 - 10 % by wt.

Essential fatty acids are classified into fat "families": omega 3 fats and omega 6 fats.

Non-essential fat "families" include omega-9 fats, saturated fats, omega-7 fats, and trans-fats.

Optimal health depends on the proper balance of all fats - both essential and non-essential fats - in the diet. Proper balance means adequate amounts of each individual fat, without having too much, and maintaining proper balance between the various "families" of fats.

Fat health also means avoiding potentially harmful fats such as trans fats found in shortening, margarine, fried foods and dairy. A proper balance of fatty acids will lead to mental health and proper nerve function, a healthy heart and circulatory system, reduced inflammation in general, proper gastrointestinal and lung function, a more balanced immune system, and even healthy skin, hair and nails.

Fatty acid balance is also critical for the health of all pregnant women and their babies since the developing brain and nervous system of the baby requires large amounts of EFAs that must come from the mother. Fatty acid imbalances have been seen in many disease processes including:

- heart disease

- hypertension

- insulin resistance and diabetes

- asthma 

- painful menstruation

- pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS)

- depression

- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

- senility 

- obsessive-compulsive disorder

- and post-partum depression

Plasma and serum fatty acid values can vary substantially based on an individual’s most recent meal, so they do not necessarily reflect long-term dietary consumption.

References:

1. Gencer B, Djousse L, Al-Ramady O, et al. Effect of long-term marine omega-3 fatty acids supplementation on the risk of atrial fibrillation in randomized controlled trials of cardiovascular outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.121.055654

Links:

a) https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Omega3FattyAcids-HealthProfessional/

b) https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/atrial-fibrillation/what-is-atrial-fibrillation-afib-or-af

What does it mean if your Omega-3 total result is too high?

As with any nutrient, it is possible to get too much omega-3. However, we don’t know exactly what level that is. Ideal amounts of omega-3s can vary from person to person depending on a number of factors, including age and health concerns.

Consuming too many Omega-3's each day may prevent healthy blood clotting and increase the risk of bleeding.

A recent meta-analysis published in the journal Circulation found that omega-3 supplements were slightly associated with a higher risk of Atrial fibrillation (A-fib). 1

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often very rapid heart rhythm (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots in the heart. b

The risk was related to how much of an omega-3 supplement a person took—in other words, the higher a person's omega-3 intake, the higher their risk of AFib was. b

What does it mean if your Omega-3 total result is too low?

A deficiency of essential fatty acids—either omega-3s or omega-6s—can cause rough, scaly skin and dermatitis. Plasma and tissue concentrations of DHA decrease when an omega-3 fatty acid deficiency is present. However, there are no known cut-off concentrations of DHA or EPA below which functional endpoints, such as those for visual or neural function or for immune response, are impaired.

Evidence that higher LC omega-3 levels are associated with a reduced risk of several chronic diseases, including coronary heart disease, suggests that many Americans could benefit from slightly higher intakes. However, classical essential fatty acid deficiency in healthy individuals in the United States is virtually nonexistent. During periods of dietary-fat restriction or malabsorption accompanied by an energy deficit, the body releases essential fatty acids from adipose-tissue reserves. For this reason, clinical signs of essential–fatty-acid deficiency are usually only found in patients receiving parenteral nutrition that lacks PUFAs. This was documented in case reports during the 1970s and 1980s, but all current enteral and parenteral feeding solutions contain adequate levels of PUFAs.

Frequently asked questions

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Instead of searching for your lab results in different places or tracking them down from different providers, Healthmatters houses, organizes, and interprets them all in one central location.

With a Healthmatters account, you can dive into the details of each biomarker and gain insights into the meaning behind your medical test data, anytime, anywhere.

For our professional users, Healthmatters provides intuitive tools that not only streamline analysis but also save valuable time when delving into your client's lab report history.

Healthmatters.io personal account provides in-depth research on 4000+ biomarkers, including information and suggestions for test panels such as, but not limited to:

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If you are still determining whether Healthmatters support your lab results, the rule is that if you can test it, you can upload it to Healthmatters.

While we work with many popular labs, we welcome reports from lots of other places too.

It's as simple as this: if you can get a test done, you can upload it to Healthmatters and we can interpret results from any lab out there. If laboratories can analyze it, we can interpret it.

If you’re on the hunt for a specific biomarker, contact us and we'll add it to our database. Anything from blood, urine, saliva, or stool can be uploaded, understood, and tracked with your Healthmatters account.

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Our data entry forms offer an easy, fast, and free way for you to input the reports yourself. Self-entry allows you to add an unlimited number of reports at no cost. We make the self-entry process user-friendly, providing dozens of templates that pre-populate the most popular laboratory panels and offering instant feedback on entered values.

For those who prefer assistance, we offer a "Data entry service" to help you input your data. Simply attach an image or file of your lab test results, and a qualified team member from our data entry team will add the results for you.

We support various file types, including PDFs, JPGs, or Excel. This service is particularly useful if you have many reports to upload or if you're too busy to handle the data entry yourself.

Our special data entry service makes it easy to add your results to your private dashboard. Just attach an image or a file of your lab test results, and our skilled data entry team will do the work for you. It's all done by humans, ensuring that your data is entered accurately and with personal care for each client.

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Simply log in and navigate to your account settings to cancel your subscription. Scroll down to locate the 'Cancel' button at the bottom of the page. Ensure you cancel at least one day before the renewal date to prevent any charges. Once cancellation is requested, the subscription remains active until the conclusion of the current billing cycle.

Our goal has been to make your Healthmatters account as intuitive as possible.

We’ve crafted multiple ways for you to navigate your data, whether you're glancing at a single report or delving into your historical test reports.

1. Graph View:

Dive into a visual journey with our biomarker graphs, showcasing over 40 data points. Combining years of results unveils trends, empowering you to make informed decisions. Our visualization tools make it a breeze to compare and understand changes over time, even if your results are from different labs. A search function and filters simplify the exploration of extensive data, allowing you to focus on what needs attention.

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Explore neatly organized reports on a timeline, highlighting crucial details like dates, critical results, and lab/panel names. Each report opens up to reveal in-depth descriptions and additional recommendations for each biomarker. The history of previous results is just a click away, and you can download a comprehensive report for deeper insights. Color-coded and user-friendly, it's designed for easy reading, understanding, and navigation.

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For a holistic view of all biomarkers side by side, our table view is your go-to. Results are neatly displayed in a categorized and dated table, ideal for those with an extensive test history. Utilize sorting, filters, and color-coding to enhance your analysis and gain extra insights.

Yes, you can download information from your account. We can compile your labs into a CSV file. To download all your labs, you can go to Account Settings, and at the bottom of the page, you will find a link to download your information.

Yes, you can print your report. To do so, navigate to "All tests" and open the report you wish to print. You'll find a print button in the right corner of the report. Click on it, and your browser's print window will open. If you prefer to print in a bigger typeface, adjust the scale using the print window settings.

Yes, you can! We highly recommend activating Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for your account. To do so, please navigate to the "Profile and Security" section of your account, where you will find instructions for activating 2FA.

Yes, you can. When entering values for the biomarker, you will see an "Edit Range" button. Click this button, and you'll have the option to enter a custom range.

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