{"id":8543,"date":"2022-06-22T16:14:58","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T15:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/?p=8543"},"modified":"2022-06-13T20:22:10","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T19:22:10","slug":"why-the-omega-3-index-is-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/blog\/why-the-omega-3-index-is-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why the omega-3 Index is so important"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Content<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#fact\">Omega-3 Facts<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#index\">What is the Omega-3 Index<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#result\">What your Omega-3 Results Tell You<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#conc\">Conclusion<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are many different ways to measure your health and today we will look at the omega-3 index and why it is an important indicator for your overall health and wellbeing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Omega-3 fatty acids were <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/18449139\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>first discovered in 1929<\/b><\/a>\u00a0<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and since then, researchers have been increasingly interested in these special types of essential fats that have a lot of health benefits for our mind and body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"fact\"><\/a>Omega-3 fatty acids 101<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Omega-3 fatty acids are <strong>polyunsaturated fatty acids<\/strong> that\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">form an essential part of our cell membranes, especially of the neurons in the brain<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are involved in the energy-transformation process<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">regulate the information flow between cells<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are precursors of \u201chormonal\u201d molecules that can regulate immunity and inflammation\u00a0 among others<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are three main types of omega-3 fatty <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/ods.od.nih.gov\/factsheets\/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer\/#:~:text=The%20three%20main%20omega%2D3,in%20fish%20and%20other%20seafood\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>acids: alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)<\/b><\/a><b>. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ALA is mainly found in plant oils like flaxseeds, canola oil, soy products or a special kind of algae. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.com\/blog\/differences-between-epa-and-dha\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>EPA and DHA<\/strong><\/a> however, are found in marine sources like fish or other seafood. They are all omega-3s, but some come from <a href=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.com\/blog\/the-difference-between-omega-3-from-plant-and-fish-sources\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>plant and other from marine sources.\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because our body cannot produce these fatty acids itself, they are called \u201cessential\u201d fatty acids. While our body can generate EPA and DHA in very low percentages from ALA, but that process is<\/span><b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthline.com\/nutrition\/3-types-of-omega-3#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> not very efficient<\/a>.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So it is often considered <a href=\"https:\/\/ods.od.nih.gov\/factsheets\/Omega3FattyAcids-Consumer\/#:~:text=The%20three%20main%20omega%2D3,in%20fish%20and%20other%20seafood.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>more efficient to take EPA and DHA as a food supplement<\/strong><\/a> such as fish oil or krill oil.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/healthy-aging\/omega-3-fatty-acids-fact-sheet#:~:text=Omega%2D3s%20are%20nutrients%20you,working%20the%20way%20they%20should.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids<\/strong> <\/a>are very diverse and range from<a href=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.com\/blog\/the-top-5-benefits-of-omega-3-for-athlete\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> improving blood fat levels<\/strong><\/a> to improving immunity and are even considered to have an impact on your mind and <a href=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.com\/blog\/omega-3-and-mental-health\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>mental health.<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8541\" src=\"http:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rower-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"485\" height=\"323\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rower-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rower-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rower-510x340.jpg 510w, https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/rower.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"index\"><\/a>What is the omega-3 Index<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now onto the main topic of this article: the omega-3 index and what it measures!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The omega-3 index is 2 different things<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a blood test\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the percentage of EPA and DHA in your red blood cells<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These two are of course connected and<a href=\"https:\/\/omegaquant.com\/discovering-the-omega-3-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> Dr. William Harris, an internationally known expert on omega-3 fatty acids and cardiovascular health<\/strong> <\/a>has been heavily involved in the development of the test and the research around its results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What does the omega-3 index measure<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It measures the <strong>percentage of EPA and DHA in a person\u2019s red blood cells.<\/strong> This is done by counting the total amount of fatty acids in the blood cells, then isolating the amount of EPA and DHA among them and calculating the percentage.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This percentage is a powerful indicator of the person\u2019s long-term intake of omega-3 because the amount of EPA and DHA in the red blood cells reflects their amount in the rest of the tissues and organs of the body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The index therefore mirrors the<strong> overall tissue EPA and DHA levels<\/strong> and overall health status of the person.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/shop\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8516\" src=\"http:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/shop_now_omega3-510x282-2-300x166-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"417\" height=\"231\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"result\"><\/a>What the o3 index tells us about our health<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/omegaquant.com\/what-is-the-omega-3-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>omega-3 index is a risk factor for heart disease and cardiovascular health<\/strong><\/a>. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The test can therefore be used to assess your omega-3 status and draw conclusions about your overall health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What is a \u201crisk factor\u201d<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This describes conditions or habits that make a person more likely to develop a disease, that can increase the chances that an existing disease will get worse. But these risk factors can be modified so you can slow or even stop the progress of the disease. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In the case of the<a href=\"https:\/\/omegaquant.com\/what-is-the-omega-3-index\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> omega-3 index<\/strong><\/a>, we will mainly focus on cardiovascular diseases, as this is what omega-3 supplements are most commonly prescribed for.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhlbi.nih.gov\/health-topics\/education-and-awareness\/heart-truth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>National Heart, Lung &#038; Blood Institute<\/strong><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the following are considered risk factors for heart disease:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">high blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">high blood cholesterol<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">diabetes and pre-diabetes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">smoking<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">being overweight<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">being physically inactive<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">family history of early heart disease<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">history of preeclampsia during pregnancy<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">unhealthy die<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">age (55 or older for women)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The hypothesis of Dr. Bill Harris is: that the omega-3 index should be added as a risk factor for heart disease if it is below a certain threshold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>The risk zones<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are the<strong> risk zones for the omega-3 index:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4% or less is high risk<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4-8 % is intermediate risk<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">8 % or more is low risk<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is because a low omega-3 index indicates low levels of EPA and DHA in the organs and tissues overall, which are <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/15208005\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>associated with an increased risk for coronary heart disease<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, omega-3 index levels of 8 to 12 % are linked to better health outcomes for general wellness as well as for heart, brain, eye and joint health.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But looking at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.superbakrill.com\/blog\/learn-about-the-omega-3-levels-in-the-country-you-are-operating-in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>study done on a global level in 2016 <\/strong><\/a><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">comparing omega-3 indices, the researchers found that the majority of the world\u2019s population has an omega-3 index of well below 8 %.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are several hypothesis as to why this could be the case but the main one is linked to diet:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who are eating a low-fish western diet show a lower omega-3 index. Those eating fish at least three times per week or taking omega-3 supplements on a regular basis, usually<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0952327818302254?dgcid=coauthor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong> show a higher omega-3 index<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your baseline omega-3 index can therefore also be used to estimate how much omega-3 you need to supplement with to improve your overall health. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While most people need 1000 mg to 2000 mg of combined EPA and DHA per day, this can vary greatly depending on a variety of individual factors so you should consult your health care professional first. If you need any more <a href=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.com\/blog\/how-when-and-how-much-omega-3-should-you-take\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>practical tips on how when and how much omega-3 to take, we\u2019ve got you covered with this blog post.\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-8542\" src=\"http:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/seth-kane-XOEAHbE_vO8-unsplash-1-300x199.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"421\" height=\"279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/seth-kane-XOEAHbE_vO8-unsplash-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/seth-kane-XOEAHbE_vO8-unsplash-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/seth-kane-XOEAHbE_vO8-unsplash-1-510x339.jpg 510w, https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/seth-kane-XOEAHbE_vO8-unsplash-1.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 421px) 100vw, 421px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a id=\"conc\"><\/a>Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The omega-3 index measures the <strong>percentage of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in your red blood cells<\/strong>, which are an indication of your overall EPA and DHA levels in the body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is important because medical professionals can use this information to manage the risk of heart disease in their patients. Higher concentrations of EPA and DHA are linked to less inflammations and therefore an overall healthier body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Managing cardiovascular diseases is not just important on an individual level, but also a big issue for public health:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.superbakrill.com\/krill-oil-optimizing-omega-3-levels?hsCtaTracking=73e1fc98-321b-435c-a9ea-39ba90df393d%7Ca9485d5f-0a56-4a7d-87ca-20b0359d2bba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>White Paper on Krill Oil and the omega-3 index<\/strong><\/a>, Superba Krill <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">states that improving the cardiovascular health of Europeans could save a total of 12.9 billion euro\u00a0 (calculated between 2016 &#8211; 2020 to avoid the total cost attributed to CVD in the EU)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to find out more about omega-3, krill oil or fish oil supplements, check out our <a href=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.com\/blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>blog<\/strong> <\/a>or browse our selection of high quality products in the <a href=\"https:\/\/norwayomega.com\/shop\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>shop<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Content Omega-3 Facts What is the Omega-3 Index What your Omega-3 Results Tell You Conclusion There are many different ways to measure your health and today we will look at the omega-3 index and why it is an important indicator for your overall health and wellbeing.\u00a0 Omega-3 fatty acids were first discovered in 1929\u00a0and since [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":8540,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[285,286,115],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8543"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8543"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8543\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8546,"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8543\/revisions\/8546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/norwayomega.ae\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}