Omega 3 and Fatty Acid Testing

I have been involved with fatty acid profile testing since the early 2000s and can assure you that unless you are paying close attention to your omega 3 intake, you are highly likely to have a significant deficiency. Previously it was an expensive and complicated to test, but now you can do an easy test with a test kit from your home.

These tests have proven themselves extremely valuable for people that I have worked with:

One man had a type of nerve pain in his face, called trigeminal neuralgia. This is not only extremely painful, but it is hard to manage with pain medication too.  On top of a significant vitamin B12 metabolism error, I discovered he had a problem converting some of his omega 3 fatty acids.  We worked hard on the fatty acid balance with food and supplementation and his pain went away.

A 15-year old girl with juvenile macular degeneration also had a block in her fatty acid profile showing a conversion error together with the typical omega 3 deficiency. When we started to work with her, she had only 20% vision left and was preparing to go blind. With the correction of fatty acids, together with other hard work on her immune system, she regained her sight up to 80% when I last saw her.

The retina, which is a concentration of nerves at the back of your eye that you need for eyesight, is high in omega 3 fatty acids.  The same goes for your brain and nerve cells.

A woman with debilitating chronic pain showed low levels of omega 3s despite supplementation at the time.  The rest of her diet was not particularly unhealthy, but all the animal products were the usual shop-bought variety and not pasture reared.

Pasture reared is when the animals roam free and eat grass, leafy greens and insects.  Mass produced animal products are grain fed, soy fed or fed in feedlots with a variety of feed not comparable with grass fed. This changes their fatty acid profile to an inflammatory or disease-supporting profile.

There is a great difference in the levels and types of fatty acids you consume if you compare pasture reared vs the usual mass produced animal products. The more grass and leafy greens an animal consumes, the more omega 3s will be found in them.  The same goes for humans.  Now add up all of what a person would eat in a day and think of the sum of that nutrient difference between mass produced and pasture reared animal products. And think of the difference it would make to increase your daily intake of leafy greens.

I could share many more stories of where we discovered fatty acid imbalance in a fatty acid profile to be a significant part of a chronic health problem. Even sleep, anxiety, ADHD, depression, and other mood- and brain-health related issues are significantly influenced by fatty acid balance.

When I look at the fatty acids in a fatty acid profile test, I do not only evaluate omega 3 levels.  Firstly, I look at the four different omega 3 fatty acids. That is not a typo, there is not only one omega 3 fatty acid, but various.  They have different roles.

The same goes for omega 6 fatty acids. They are sometimes said to be harmful and inflammatory when simplified omega 3/6 balances are looked at. As with omega 3 fatty acids, there is a variety of omega 6 fatty acids with different functions in the body. It is all about a balance of all of them.   Sometimes, there are even deficiencies in some of these omega 6s, which could impact cognition, energy levels, hormone health, skin health and immunity against viruses and cancer.

In the fatty acid profile, I also look at other fatty acids, such beneficial ones found in olive oil and potentially inflammatory ones, called saturated fat.

All of this information is found in a single fatty acid profile.

Everything you eat, your supplements and your genetic make-up has an impact on your individual profile.

If you are interested in testing your fatty acids, please feel free to contact me.

You can read more about fatty acids and their impact on your immune system in my book.

Remember to have your leafy greens and have olive oil daily.  And if you eat animal products, find a reliable source of pasture reared animal products.  You are what they eat.

Go have fun, spend some time in nature.  Embrace Life.

PS: Test your fatty acids.  It is worth your while to know your individual profile. Contact me for more information.