What a test can and can’t tell you

We sell coaching that starts with a test. That gives us a reason to oversell testing, so this page sets out its limits as clearly as its uses.

What a test can tell you

• Your current fatty-acid balance. How omega-6 and omega-3 compare in your blood, and your Omega-3 Index.[source pending]
• A baseline. A measured starting point instead of an assumption.
• Change over time. Tested again after a few months, it shows whether what you changed shows up in your blood.[source pending]

What a test can’t tell you

• Whether you are ill or healthy. It is not a diagnostic test, and we never use it as one.
• What caused a result. Food, supplements, habits and individual differences all play a part. The number starts a conversation; it doesn’t end one.
• Exactly what to do. Two people with the same result can need different plans.

Where the science is debated

Researchers don’t agree on everything. In particular, there is ongoing discussion about how useful the omega-6:3 ratio is as a marker on its own, compared with measures such as the Omega-3 Index.[source pending] We think the ratio is useful as one piece of information about your overall fat balance, alongside the rest of the profile, and we tell clients where the debate stands.

About the method

At-home tests use a dried blood spot rather than a venous blood sample. The method is established for fatty-acid analysis, but sampling technique matters, which is why we have a sampling guide.[source pending]

Our rules for ourselves

• We only use EU-authorised health claims.[European Commission 2012]
• We don’t use health-professional titles. We are nutrition coaches.
• If a value is outside the lab’s reference range, we refer you to your GP.
• Every example result on this site is labelled as illustrative.
• We are an independent partner of Zinzino, the company whose tests our programs use, and we say so.

Sources

1. [source pending] Source needed: original definition of the Omega-3 Index (EPA + DHA as % of red blood cell fatty acids)
2. [source pending] Source needed: red blood cell lifespan (~120 days) and how fast membrane fatty acids change
3. [source pending] Source needed: review discussing the usefulness and limits of the omega-6:3 ratio as a marker
4. [source pending] Source needed: validation of dried blood spot fatty-acid analysis against venous samples
5. European Commission. Commission Regulation (EU) No 432/2012 establishing a list of permitted health claims made on foods, other than those referring to the reduction of disease risk and to children’s development and health. Official Journal of the European Union (2012).