Need fatty acid analysis of samples from your research study? You’ve come to the right place.
From Lipid Panels To
Vitamin D
We’re experts in fatty acid analysis
- Whole blood – liquid or dried blood spot
- Blood cells – erythrocyte, white blood cells, platelets
- Plasma and serum – percent composition and concentration
- Lipid classes – triglyceride, phospholipid, cholesterol ester
- Free fatty acids
- Lipoproteins – VLDL, LDL, HDL
- Breast milk – liquid or dried milk spot
- Food and supplement samples
- Tissues – human biopsies and experimental animals
- Short chain fatty acids (C2-C6)
We now have the capability to measure plasma Vitamin D from dried blood spots or plasma. We can also now measure lipid panels, inflammatory markers, and more from plasma. Inquire below!
OmegaQuant has measured fatty acids in hundreds of studies with our standardized, validated methods. Why does that matter?
First, OmegaQuant, LLC is a CLIA-certified lab (#43D1105229), which means we are certified to accept human samples for diagnostic testing.
Second, you can compare blood fatty acid levels to thousands of other people and other studies.
Third, although our methods are proprietary, we can provide relevant validation data upon request for potential research clients.
We can even run some validation studies specific to your work if required. Please contact us at scott@omegaquant.com for a quote or for more information.
Seattle Primary Cardiac Arrest Study
The Omega-3 Index and Risk for Fatal CHD
Total Mortality and the Omega-3 Index: Heart and Soul
The Omega-3 Index, Brain Size and Cognitive Function: Framingham Heart Study
Depression and the Omega-3 Index
Greater Longevity with a Higher Omega-3 Index
Recovering from a Heart Attack with Omega-3s: The OMEGA-REMODEL Study
Tested omega-3 blood levels for a large pharmaceutical omega-3 drug study
Measured breastmilk omega-3s in mothers from Bangladesh and India
Standardized. Validated. Methods you can trust.
OmegaQuant has measured fatty acids in hundreds of studies with our standardized, validated methods. Why does that matter? First, OmegaQuant, LLC is a CLIA-certified lab (#43D1105229), which means we are certified to accept human samples for diagnostic testing. Second, you can compare blood fatty acid levels to thousands of other people and other studies. Below we provide the fatty acid norms from several specimen types that are the most common, but we can measure the fatty acid profile in the specimen type that best fits your research question. Third, although our methods are proprietary, we can provide relevant validation data upon request for potential research clients. We can even run some validation studies specific to your work if required. Please contact us at info@omegaquant.com for a quote or for more information.
Fatty Acid Norms
Common Fatty Acids
These are the fatty acids we regularly measure in blood, with the exception of C10:0 and C12:0 which are included only in our milk analyses.
| Shorthand | Abbreviation | Name |
|---|---|---|
| C10:0 | – | capric acid |
| C12:0 | – | lauric acid |
| C14:0 | MA | myristic acid |
| C16:0 | PA | palmitic acid |
| C16:1n7 | PO | palmitoleic acid |
| C16:1n7t | t-PO | trans palmitoleic acid |
| C18:0 | SA | stearic acid |
| C18:1n9 | OA | oleic acid |
| C18:1n9t | t-OA | trans oleic acid |
| C18:2n6 | LA | linoleic acid |
| C18:2n6t | t-LA | trans linoleic acid |
| C20:0 | – | arachidic acid |
| C18:3n6 | GLA | gamma linolenic acid |
| C20:1n9 | – | eicosenoic acid |
| C18:3n3 | ALA | alpha linolenic acid |
| C20:2n6 | – | eicosadienoic acid |
| C20:3n6 | – | eicosatrienoic acid |
| C22:0 | – | docosanoic acid |
| C20:4n6 | AA | arachidonic acid |
| C24:0 | – | lignoceric acid |
| C20:5n3 | EPA | eicosapentaenoic acid |
| C24:1n9 | – | nervonic acid |
| C22:4n6 | DTA | docosatetraenoic acid |
| C22:5n6 | DPAn6 | docosapentaenoic acid n6 |
| C22:5n3 | DPAn3 | docosapentaenoic acid n3 |
| C22:6n3 | DHA | docosahexaenoic acid |
| EPA+DHA | Omega-3 Index |
Red Blood Cell Fatty Acids (% of total fatty acids)
| Fatty Acid | Mean | 99% Range |
|---|---|---|
| C14:0 | 0.32% | 0.10-0.73% |
| C16:0 | 22.40% | 19.60-26.61% |
| C16:1n7 | 0.23% | 0.05-0.80% |
| C16:1n7t | 0.14% | 0.05-0.23% |
| C18:0 | 17.83% | 14.40-20.29% |
| C18:1n9 | 14.39% | 11.98-17.60% |
| C18:1n9t | 0.84% | 0.40-1.63% |
| C18:2n6 | 11.84% | 7.81-18.10% |
| C18:2n6tt | 0.30% | 0.10-0.98% |
| C18:3n3 | 0.15% | 0.08-0.40% |
| C18:3n6 | 0.11% | 0.00-0.26% |
| C20:0 | 0.14% | 0.07-0.20% |
| C20:1n9 | 0.23% | 0.10-0.40% |
| C20:2n6 | 0.27% | 0.18-0.41% |
| C20:3n6 | 1.65% | 0.93-2.90% |
| C20:4n6 | 15.15% | 10.11-19.00% |
| C20:5n3 | 1.16% | 0.29-4.30% |
| C22:0 | 0.16% | 0.04-0.40% |
| C22:4n6 | 3.32% | 1.30-5.40% |
| C22:5n3 | 2.96% | 1.70-5.10% |
| C22:5n6 | 0.52% | 0.20-1.00% |
| C22:6n3 | 5.19% | 2.25-8.72% |
| C24:0 | 0.38% | 0.09-1.10% |
| C24:1n9 | 0.37% | 0.07-1.10% |
| Omega-3 Index | 6.36% | 2.66-12.20% |
| Total n-3 FA | 9.47% | 5.09-16.73% |
| Total cis monounsaturated FA | 15.21% | 12.61-18.71% |
| Total n-6 FA | 32.86% | 24.90-38.80% |
| Total saturated FA | 41.22% | 37.53-45.22% |
| Total trans FA | 1.28% | 0.60-2.42% |
| n-6:n-3 ratio | 3.81 | 1.52-7.25 |
| AA:EPA ratio | 20.93 | 2.62-62.00 |
| Trans Fat Index | 1.14% | 0.50-2.28% |
*from 59,028 subjects
Whole Blood Fatty Acids (% of total fatty acids) from Dried Blood Spot
| Fatty Acid | Mean | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| C14:0 | 0.71% | 0.43% |
| C16:0 | 21.57% | 1.74% |
| C16:1n7t | 0.14% | 0.08% |
| C16:1n7 | 0.82% | 0.50% |
| C18:0 | 11.51% | 1.17% |
| C18:1t | 0.48% | 0.30% |
| C18:1n9 | 19.71% | 2.82% |
| C18:2n6tt | 0.25% | 0.21% |
| C18:2n6 | 22.95% | 3.21% |
| C20:0 | 0.23% | 0.08% |
| C18:3n6 | 0.26% | 0.13% |
| C20:1n9 | 0.25% | 0.11% |
| C18:3n3 | 0.48% | 0.31% |
| C20:2n6 | 0.22% | 0.08% |
| C22:0 | 0.63% | 0.25% |
| C20:3n6 | 1.30% | 0.38% |
| C20:4n6 | 9.74% | 1.89% |
| C24:0 | 0.83% | 0.36% |
| C20:5n3 | 1.23% | 1.21% |
| C24:1n9 | 0.78% | 0.53% |
| C22:4n6 | 1.16% | 0.45% |
| C22:5n6 | 0.33% | 0.16% |
| C22:5n3 | 1.28% | 0.46% |
| C22:6n3 | 3.14% | 1.13% |
| Omega-3 Index | 6.29% | 2.43% |
| Trans Fat Index | 0.73% | 0.40% |
| AA:EPA | 15.74 | 13.18 |
| Omega-6:Omega-3 | 6.80 | 2.68 |
| Total Saturated FA | 35.48% | 2.14% |
| Total cis-Monounsaturated FA | 21.56% | 2.96% |
| Total Omega-6 FA | 35.97% | 3.72% |
| Total Omega-3 FA | 6.13% | 2.43% |
| Total Trans FA | 0.87% | 0.42% |
*from 75,335 fatty acid profiles measured from dried blood spots at OmegaQuant Analytics between 2015 – 2019
Plasma Total Fatty Acids (% of total fatty acids)
| Fatty Acid | Mean | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| C14:0 | 0.85% | 0.33% |
| C16:0 | 21.24% | 1.96% |
| C16:1n7 | 1.59% | 0.77% |
| C16:1n7t | 0.16% | 0.06% |
| C18:0 | 7.30% | 0.76% |
| C18:1n9 | 19.6% | 2.8% |
| C18:1n9t | 0.69% | 0.32% |
| C18:2n6 | 32.8% | 4.3% |
| C18:2n6t | 0.36% | 0.11% |
| C20:0 | 0.13% | 0.04% |
| C18:3n6 | 0.49% | 0.19% |
| C20:1n9 | 0.14% | 0.05% |
| C18:3n3 | 0.63% | 0.22% |
| C20:2n6 | 0.27% | 0.06% |
| C22:0 | 0.20% | 0.08% |
| C20:3n6 | 1.67% | 0.44% |
| C20:4n6 | 7.72% | 2.14% |
| C24:0 | 0.18% | 0.07% |
| C20:5n3 | 0.69% | 0.56% |
| C24:1n9 | 0.27% | 0.11% |
| C22:4n6 | 0.26% | 0.10% |
| C22:5n6 | 0.20% | 0.08% |
| C22:5n3 | 0.56% | 0.14% |
| C22:6n3 | 1.96% | 0.82% |
*from 653 US adults
Plasma Total Fatty Acids (ug/ml)
| Fatty Acid | Mean | Standard Deviation |
|---|---|---|
| C14:0 | 29.8 | 19.7 |
| C16:0 | 718.0 | 261.3 |
| C16:1n7 | 57.0 | 43.7 |
| C16:1n7t | 5.3 | 2.5 |
| C18:0 | 241.2 | 64.1 |
| C18:1n9 | 669.2 | 276.9 |
| C18:1n9t | 23.3 | 14.7 |
| C18:2n6 | 1079.7 | 267.6 |
| C18:2n6t | 12.0 | 5.5 |
| C20:0 | 4.2 | 1.7 |
| C18:3n6 | 16.5 | 8.8 |
| C20:1n9 | 4.7 | 2.1 |
| C18:3n3 | 21.4 | 11.2 |
| C20:2n6 | 9.1 | 3.4 |
| C22:0 | 6.6 | 2.6 |
| C20:3n6 | 55.7 | 21.4 |
| C20:4n6 | 250.6 | 77.9 |
| C24:0 | 5.9 | 2.5 |
| C20:5n3 | 22.6 | 18.8 |
| C24:1n9 | 8.9 | 3.8 |
| C22:4n6 | 8.8 | 4.2 |
| C22:5n6 | 6.6 | 3.4 |
| C22:5n3 | 18.6 | 6.9 |
| C22:6n3 | 63.6 | 29.0 |
*from 653 US adults
Methods
Omega-3 Index Method
Our premier test, the Omega-3 Index, is the EPA+DHA content of red blood cells membranes, expressed as a percent of total identified fatty acids. It is measured using a proprietary methodology developed over several years of research, but we are able to provide the following information regarding our in-house validation studies.
- We have verified that the Omega-3 Index can be estimated using our dried blood spot technology. Click here for a copy of the published methods.
- We have compared Omega-3 Index results from 4 other laboratories to those from OmegaQuant for the analysis of a single blood sample.
- We have performed several studies to define the correlations between EPA+DHA measured in RBC and dried blood spots with EPA+DHA in plasma (as a % of total fatty acids and as a concentration) and in plasma phospholipids.
- We have shown that the fatty acid composition of RBCs and of plasma can be derived from frozen whole blood samples by separation of membranes from plasma lipids in an ultracentrifuge.
Tests Validated by FDA Guidelines
Assays for concentrations of EPA, DHA and AA in both total plasma/serum and in the non-esterified (i.e., unbound) fraction have been validated per FDA Guidelines for Industry. This includes data on
Red Blood Cell Method Validation
Our red blood cell fatty acid assay has been evaluated for
Stability of Sample Types
We have tested the following sample types in for stability under several storage conditions (-80°C, -20°C, 4°C and room temperature).
- Liquid breast milk
- Dried milk spots
- Whole blood
- Dried blood spots
- Plasma (composition and concentration)
Questions?
Still have questions about what we measure? Or how our analyses have been validated? Or how you can work with us? Check out our FAQ section for “Researchers” where we answer some of the most common questions we get about study collaboration.
You can also fill out the form below and one of our researchers will get back to you about your project within 2 business days.