How an at-home fatty-acid test works

An at-home fatty-acid test uses a method called a dried blood spot. Instead of a tube of blood taken at a clinic, you place a few drops from your fingertip on a special filter card. Once dry, the fatty acids in the sample are stable enough to post to a lab.[source pending]

The steps

1. Get ready

   Drink a glass of water and warm your hands, for example under warm running water. Warm hands make the sampling much easier.

2. Take the sample

   Clean your fingertip, use the single-use lancet, and let a few drops fall onto the marked circles on the card. Don’t press the finger against the card.

3. Let it dry

   Leave the card to dry flat at room temperature, as described in the kit instructions.

4. Post it

   Put the dry card in the protective bag and the return envelope, and post it. Early in the week is best, so it doesn’t sit in a post office over the weekend.

5. The lab analyses it

   An independent lab measures the fatty acids in your sample. This usually takes a few weeks.

6. Read your report

   Your results appear in the results portal. If you are a client, we go through them together and turn them into a plan.

Our step-by-step sampling guide goes through each step in more detail.

What it measures

The report describes the fatty-acid make-up of your blood: how much omega-6 you have relative to omega-3, your Omega-3 Index (EPA and DHA as a share of the fatty acids in your red blood cells)[source pending], and a wider fatty-acid profile.

Because red blood cells are replaced gradually, the result reflects your intake over the past few months rather than what you ate yesterday.[source pending]

What it doesn’t do

It doesn’t diagnose anything. It describes your current balance, which is useful information for nutrition coaching. Read more on what a test can and can’t tell you.

Sources

1. [source pending] Source needed: validation of dried blood spot fatty-acid analysis against venous samples
2. [source pending] Source needed: original definition of the Omega-3 Index (EPA + DHA as % of red blood cell fatty acids)
3. [source pending] Source needed: red blood cell lifespan (~120 days) and how fast membrane fatty acids change