Understanding Selected Vital Test Data - My Results

Understanding Selected Vital Test Data: my results from 4-1-2012 are in red
Omega-3 ALA
This is the total amount of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) in your blood, as a percentage of all fatty acids. Certain plant foods contain this “short-chain” omega-3 fatty acid, less than 10 percent of which the body may convert into the “long-chain” omega-3 HUFA (EPA and DHA) it actually needs.

The average person eating the Standard American Diet will have an ALA score of less than 1%.
For optimal health, the ALA level in your blood should exceed 2%. 0.8

Omega-3 EPA
This is the total amount of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) in your blood, as a percentage of all fatty acids.

The average person eating the Standard American Diet will have an EPA score of less than 1%.
For optimal health, the EPA level in your blood should exceed 3%. 2.90

Omega-3 DPA
This is the total amount of DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) in your blood, as a percentage of all fatty acids. DPA is a lesser-known omega-3 fatty acid that is increasingly seen as important to health, in part because it can be converted to DHA by the body.

The average person eating a Standard American Diet will have a DPA score of less than 2%.
For optimal health, the DPA level in your blood should exceed 2%. 1.51

Omega-3 DHA
This is the total amount of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) in your blood, as a percentage of all fatty acids.

The average person eating the Standard American Diet will have a DHA score of less than 3%.
For optimal health, the DHA level in your blood should exceed 5%. 5.51

Total Omega-6 Score
Omega-6 fatty acids are essential to health, but occur in extreme excess in the Standard American Diet. This is especially true of polyunsaturated linoleic acid (LA), which predominates in the most commonly used vegetable oils (corn, soy, safflower, sunflower, cottonseed) and the processed foods made with them. LA is converted in the body to an omega-6 HUFA called AA (arachidonic acid).

Omega-6 AA is the precursor to various hormone-like compounds called eicosanoids (eye-cos-ah-noyds), which strongly influence immune system processes. Having an excess of AA in your blood tends to produce a pro-inflammatory environment in the body.

The average person eating the Standard American Diet will have an AA score of about 13%.
For optimal health, the AA level in your blood should be less than 9%. 11.43

DGLA (dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid) is created when the body converts dietary omega-6 LA to omega-6 AA. People’s DGLA levels don’t generally reveal much about their heart health. Although other omega-6s generally promote and sustain inflammation, DGLA typically exerts inflammation-moderating effects.

Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio
This result provides a general measure of where you stand in comparison to the U.S. average and to the optimal ratio (less than 5:1 omega-6s to omega-3s).

By itself, your Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio has limited meaning because it does not reflect the amounts of these fatty acids in your blood. Having a “good” (low) ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s might provide a false sense of security if the amounts of both are too low. However, it’s good news if you have a low Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio (less than 5:1) and your Total Omega-3 Score equals or exceeds the “optimal” level (more than 9%).

AA/EPA Ratio
This is the ratio of the omega-6 AA to the omega-3 EPA in your blood. AA is essential to human health and only becomes bad in excess.

For optimal health, you should have no more than five times as much AA as EPA; i.e., your ratio should not exceed 5:1. 3.85:1

Total Omega-3 Score
This reveals all of the omega-3 fatty acids in your blood, not just your omega-3 HUFA (EPA, DHA, and DPA). For example, if your omega-3 score is 5%, it means that 5% of all the fatty acids in your blood are omega-3s.

The Total Omega-3 Score is useful for monitoring your levels, but isn’t nearly as valuable an indicator of risk for coronary health disease as your Vital O-Mega Scores.

Optimally, your Total Omega-3 Score should be higher than 9%. 10.82

According to the results of several major epidemiological and clinical studies, this optimal score is linked to:

• 40% lower risk of all heart-related deaths (Dolecek TA 1992)
• 19-28% reduction in risk of sudden death from any cause (Albert CM et al. 2002)
• 50% reduction in the risk of sudden cardiac arrest (Siscovick DS et al. 1995)
• 10-30% drop in the risk of a stroke or second heart attack (Marchioli R et al. 2001)

People from regions where seafood is consumed in abundance – such as Japan and Greenland – often have total omega-3 scores greater than 15%.

Omega-3 Index
The Omega-3 Index measures the concentration of EPA and DHA as a percent of total fatty acids in red blood cell membranes. In recent years a significant body of research has been published showing the Omega-3 Index to be a good predictor of heart disease risk, and especially the risk of dying from a sudden heart attack, which contributes to over half of heart disease-related deaths.

These studies have shown that an Omega 3-Index of 8% or greater is desirable for its cardio-protective benefits, and a score below 4% is undesirable. 11.78

So all of this was achieved on diet alone, eating salmon 2-3 days per week on average. I have choesn to add Tuna Omega 3 (slightly low EPA and DHA) at 4 perles and wheat germ oil (to increase ALA) at 2 perles in an attempt to move all my values to optimal level. I plan to recheck in 3 months. I'll let you know.

Don

Taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption

J Bone Miner Res. 2010 Apr;25(4):928-30.
Taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in higher serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

Abstract
Many patients treated for vitamin D deficiency fail to achieve an adequate serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] despite high doses of ergo- or cholecalciferol. The objective of this study was to determine whether administration of vitamin D supplement with the largest meal of the day would improve absorption and increase serum levels of 25(OH)D. This was a prospective cohort study in an ambulatory tertiary-care referral center. Patients seen at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation Bone Clinic for the treatment of vitamin D deficiency who were not responding to treatment make up the study group. Subjects were instructed to take their usual vitamin D supplement with the largest meal of the day. The main outcome measure was the serum 259(OH)D level after 2 to 3 months. Seventeen patients were analyzed. The mean age (+/-SD) and sex (F/M) ratio were 64.5 +/- 11.0 years and 13 females and 4 males, respectively. The dose of 25(OH)D ranged from 1000 to 50,000 IU daily. The mean baseline serum 25(OH)D level (+/-SD) was 30.5 +/- 4.7 ng/mL (range 21.6 to 38.8 ng/mL). The mean serum 25(OH)D level after diet modification (+/-SD) was 47.2 +/- 10.9 ng/mL (range 34.7 to 74.0 ng/mL, p < .01). Overall, the average serum 25(OH)D level increased by 56.7% +/- 36.7%. A subgroup analysis based on the weekly dose of vitamin D was performed, and a similar trend was observed.

Thus it is concluded that taking vitamin D with the largest meal improves absorption and results in about a 50% increase in serum levels of 25(OH)D levels achieved. Similar increases were observed in a wide range of vitamin D doses taken for a variety of medical conditions.

Low Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Cause Memory Problems

A diet lacking in omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients commonly found in fish, may cause your brain to age faster and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities, according to a study published in the February 28, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Omega-3 fatty acids include the nutrients called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
“People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging,” said study author Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, of the Easton Center for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics, University of California at Los Angeles.

For the study, 1,575 people with an average age of 67 and free of dementia underwent MRI brain scans. They were also given tests that measured mental function, body mass and the omega-3 fatty acid levels in their red blood cells.

The researchers found that people whose DHA levels were among the bottom 25 percent of the participants had lower brain volume compared to people who had higher DHA levels. Similarly, participants with levels of all omega-3 fatty acids in the bottom 25 percent also scored lower on tests of visual memory and executive function, such as problem solving and multi-tasking and abstract thinking.

Released: 2/21/2012 3:00 PM EST 
Source: American Academy of Neurology (AAN)

Home Test: The Vital Omega-3 and 6 HUFA Test™

The Vital Omega-3 and 6 HUFA Test™ measures the blood levels of these two families of essential nutrients, which strongly influence genetic “switches”, and hormone-like agents called prostaglandins.

• Easy, comfortable, at-home blood test
• Receive your results by email in about 3 weeks
• Reveals your key omega-3 and omega-6 blood levels
• Provides a heart-risk grade, based on your test results

Which omega-3 and omega-6 HUFA are included in your report?
The five most abundant highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) in human blood – and the ones most significant to human health – are omega-3 EPA, DHA, and DPA* and omega-6 AA* and DPA**:

However, your Vital Omega-3 and 6 HUFA Test™ measures and reports the full spectrum of all nine omega-3 and omega-6 HUFA found in human blood.

The following list shows the scientific names (e.g., docosahexaenoic acid) and alpha-numeric identifiers (e.g., 22:6w3) for all nine HUFA, as well as the acronyms (e.g., DHA) commonly used for the five major HUFA:

Omega-3 HUFA covered by your report
DHA (docosahexaenoic acid - 22:6w3) • EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid - 20:5w3) • DPA (docosapentaenoic acid - 22:5w3) • eicosatrienoic acid (20:3w3) • eicsoatetraenoic acid (20:4w3)

Omega-6 HUFA covered by your report
AA (arachidonic acid - 20:4w6) • di-homo-gamma linolenic acid (20:3w6) • adrenic acid (22:4w6) • DPA (docosapentaenoic acid - 22:5w6)

I'll post my results as soon as I get them as a sample to what the provide....more soon

Don

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Heart Health

Omega-3 reduces risk of death from cardiovascular causes by between 30 to 50% following a myocardial infarction

 

Lancet. 1999 Aug 7;354(9177):447-55.

From October, 1993, to September, 1995, 11,324 patients surviving recent (< or = 3 months) myocardial infarction were randomly assigned supplements of n-3 PUFA (1 g daily, n=2836), vitamin E (300 mg daily, n=2830), both (n=2830), or none (control, n=2828) for 3.5 years.

The Italian GISSI study says taking just 850 mg of EPA DHA Omega-3 per day showed a dramatic reduction of sudden death.

This risk reduction isn’t from cholesterol reduction.

The risk reduction comes from:

• reduction in triglycerides
• reduction in inflammation
• providing antiarrhythmic properties
• improved endothelial function

Follow up Report

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Heart Failure
Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2009 Nov;11(6):440-7.

Abstract
During the past three decades, the protective role of omega (n)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), mainly eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), in patients with coronary heart disease has been widely reported. The Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto Miocardico-Heart Failure (GISSI-HF) study, a large-scale clinical trial, recently showed that n-3 PUFA (850-882 mg/d) reduced mortality and admission to the hospital for cardiovascular reasons in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) who were already receiving recommended therapies. The favorable effects of n-3 PUFA in GISSI-HF suggest that marine fish oils could confer protection in HF mainly through their antiarrhythmic action and in part by influencing the mechanisms related to HF progression. This article reviews recent clinical and experimental evidence on the effect of n-3 PUFA in coronary heart disease, with particular attention on HF and its pathophysiologic mechanisms.

Don

Low Levels of Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Cause Memory Problems

A diet lacking in omega-3 fatty acids, nutrients commonly found in fish, may cause your brain to age faster and lose some of its memory and thinking abilities, according to a study published in the February 28, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Omega-3 fatty acids include the nutrients called docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA).
"People with lower blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids had lower brain volumes that were equivalent to about two years of structural brain aging," said study author Zaldy S. Tan, MD, MPH, of the Easton Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research and the Division of Geriatrics, University of California at Los Angeles.

For the study, 1,575 people with an average age of 67 and free of dementia underwent MRI brain scans. They were also given tests that measured mental function, body mass and the omega-3 fatty acid levels in their red blood cells.

The researchers found that people whose DHA levels were among the bottom 25 percent of the participants had lower brain volume compared to people who had higher DHA levels. Similarly, participants with levels of all omega-3 fatty acids in the bottom 25 percent also scored lower on tests of visual memory and executive function, such as problem solving and multi-tasking and abstract thinking.

Mueller's new book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil

NPR - interview! You can listen to it here

Mueller's new book, Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, chronicles how resellers have added lower-priced, lower-grade oils and artificial coloring to extra-virgin olive oil, before passing the new adulterated substance along the supply chain. (One olive oil producer told Mueller that 50 percent of the olive oil sold in the United States is, in some ways, adulterated.)

The term "extra-virgin olive oil" means the olive oil has been made from crushed olives and is not refined in any way by chemical solvents or high heat.

"The legal definition simply says it has to pass certain chemical tests, and in a sensory way it has to taste and smell vaguely of fresh olives, because it's a fruit, and have no faults," he tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "But many of the extra-virgin olive oils on our shelves today in America don't clear [the legal definition]."

Extra-virgin olive oil wasn't created until stainless steel milling techniques were introduced in the 1960s and '70s. The technology allowed people to make much more refined olive oil.

"In the past, the technology that had been used had been used really by the Romans," says Mueller. "You grounded the olives with stone mills [and] you crushed them with presses."

The introduction of stainless steel milling techniques has allowed manufacturers to make more complex and flavorful extra-virgin olive oils, he says. But the process is also incredibly expensive — it costs a lot to properly store and mill extra-virgin olive oil. Mueller says that's why some people blend extra-virgin olive oil with lower-grade, lower-priced products.

"Naturally the honest people are getting terribly undercut," he says. "There's a huge unfair advantage in favor of the bad stuff. At the same time, consumers are being defrauded of the health and culinary benefits of great olive oil."

Bad or rancid olive oil loses the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of olive oil, says Mueller. "What [good olive oil] gets you from a health perspective is a cocktail of 200+ highly beneficial ingredients that explain why olive oil has been the heart of the Mediterranean diet," he says. "Bad olives have free radicals and impurities, and then you've lost that wonderful cocktail ... that you get from fresh fruit, from real extra-virgin olive oil."

Your Olive oil may not be as virgin as you think it is.

The next time you reach for a bottle of extra-virgin olive oil, beware. A new study from the University of California- Davis claims more than two-thirds of random samples of imported so-called extra-virgin olive oil don't make the grade.

The Olive Oil Chemistry Lab overlooks many of the 2,000 olive trees on the Davis campus.

"It's like we have our own CSI: Olive Oil lab here," says chemist Charles Shoemaker, who manages the lab's forensics.

To be extra-virgin, olive oil can't be rancid or doctored with lesser oils. Shoemaker wasn't all that surprised that many of the 14 major brands failed certain tests.

"It's become a very sophisticated practice, the adulteration of olive oil throughout the world," Shoemaker says. He says the lab can prove defects, degradation and dilution in olive oil beyond what human taste buds can figure out. The lab testing zeroes in on specific flaws.

"We do spectroscopic studies looking for oxidation," he says. That means the oil's old or spoiled. Shoemaker also tests fatty acids "to make sure the oil is all from olives and not from soybean, sunflower or other types of oil."

The UC-Davis Olive Oil Report


No molecule can hide. Shoemaker revs up a small vacuum that removes solvents and isolates chlorophyll, which is always in oil made from green olives, but never in lesser-grade seed oil. As it sucks a sample, he's patient.

"It takes about 25 minutes per sample to do just this one step," he says.

The UC-Davis study was funded in part by the California Olive Oil Council. Oils were tested by some methods not yet recognized by international standards. For that reason, Bob Bauer of the North American Olive Oil Association, which represents importers, disputes the Davis study.

"It's irresponsible to create the misperception that they've done based on unrecognized tests," he says. "These results directly contradict our 20 years of more extensive sampling than what those results show."

There's never been a legal definition in the U.S. for any grade of olive oil, but mounting concern over truth-in-olive-oil-labeling has drawn in the USDA, and new American regulations will conform to international standards. Starting in October, olive oil from every olive oil-producing country, including America, will be subject to random sampling off retail shelve.