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ePaper created 2013-07-27, 20:31:05 | version 1.25.20
Understanding Selected Vital Test Data 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%. 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%. 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%. 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%. 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%. 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. 6 © 2011 Vital Choice Inc. info@vitaltest.com www.vitaltest.com