“It is interesting to note that in Japan, where the mean omega-3 index is greater than 8%, the expected life span is around five years longer than it is in the United States, where the mean omega-3 index is about 5%. Hence, in practice, dietary choices that change the omega-3 index may prolong life,” said Michael McBurney, Ph.D., FCNS-SCN, lead researcher in this study.
No matter how healthy you think you are, you should always know your number.
The Omega-3 Index test is simply a measure of the amount of EPA and DHA in the blood, specifically the red blood cell membranes. For example, if you have 64 fatty acids in a cell membrane and 3 are EPA and DHA, then you would have an Omega-3 Index of 4.6%.
These days, all omega-3s tend to be being lumped together as “good fats” and all omega-6s as “bad fats.”
The Framingham Risk Score is a gender-specific algorithm used to estimate the 10-year cardiovascular risk of an individual.