Have any of you done the blood test Dr. Sears dicusses in Toxic Fat? I'd like to get it done but don't want to spend $$$. I'm curious if you've had it done, where you had the test done and if you found the results helpful/meaningful.

I had it done, through NutraSource Diagnostics; blood draw was done at my doctor's office. It was very helpful in my case. Dr. Sears has been advising me for many years regarding my fish oil dose and he was able to fine tune it based on my test result.

Hi,
as I can't find any laboratoy that takes the exam I did the triglicerids and HDL exam, made the division and it turned out my numbre is 0.5, while the insuline is 3.9 and I can read Dr Sears recommends 5. Is it too low? I can find nothing in books talking about a too low level, so I think it isn't, isnt'it? Does it mean I'm taking the right amout of fish oil? I was happy to see it, anyway. I feel healthier, I can't explain the sensation. I also feel appy to see my results...
Hughs

Sue,

What were your results of the AA/EPA test (% of AA, EPA, DGLA)? Also, how much of the EicoRx are you taking? Thanks!

enza, in TOXIC FAT (page 83) you'll find Dr. Sears newest recommendations; the ideal fasting insulin is <5 uU/ml and the ideal TG/HDL is <1. You're doing great.

how did yours come out, Sue? and how was your dosage adjusted? and what overall conclusions were drawn?

Hi janet,

My AA/EPA was 4 (test was 2 1/2 years ago). Dr. Sears advised me to 1. Increase my Eico Rx dose by 1 capsule a day (which I did) and 2. Cut back further on Omega 6, as much as possible. The only added Omega 6 I was eating, besides the small amounts found in chicken, turkey, nuts, olive oil and veggies, was 1 teaspoon of organic toasted sesame oil daily, so I cut that out.

I'm planning to do the test again when the newer AA/EPA test becomes available soon (the one mentioned in TOXIC FAT).

Thanks Sue,
I'll read the page you mantion in Toxic Fat.
In fact I feel great and I discovered, during these months in the Zone, that I am really sesitive to any flour. When accidentally have some(not so accidentally actually...) I feel immediatly very tired, sleepy and the day after I have swallowing hands, like I can't move properly. This is getting worse, maybe beacuse I am not having flour practically and my body doesn't want ot receive it anymore
Hughs

enza, you're doing great, and I know what you mean about the flour. :-) That's proof of what a big difference it makes to your body when you stay in the Zone!

Matt,

My AA/EPA was 4. I'd have to dig out the report to find the specifics you asked for (sorry, no time to, I have guests staying here for the rest of the week. :-) At the time of my AA/EPA test, I was taking 1 Eico RX daily, which increased to 2 daily as a result of the test. That eventually ended up causing the spillover effect (eventually it was too much GLA for me).

On the advice of Dr. Sears, a couple months ago I switched to 1 capsule of Omega Rx every third day. Mine is a very unique situation. I've been in the Zone for almost 15 years and I follow strict adherence to the diet. This greatly lowers my level of inflammation, thus lowering my need for fish oil.

Thanks Sue,

I know that less than 9% AA is what people should aim for, and since you follow the Zone so strictly, I was wondering how low you've gotten your AA levels to be.

Thanks Sue. It is so interesting...you eat soy regularly, as I recall. As I have said before, I used to eat tons of soy, years ago, when on the zone, and it worked well. It is curious, because arachadinic acid is everwhere! Is it in soy? (I'm thinkin' no.)

Hi janet,

I'm not quite sure what your point is about soy, unless you're referring to Omega 6. Soy is an excellent protein choice for the Zone according to Barry S; he didn't advise me to eliminate soy from my diet, and incidentally, I don't eat significant amounts of soy.

Matt, I remembered yesterday that my AA was either 10 or 14. The point of trying to eliminate more Omega 6 was, of course, to try to address the AA being just slightly above the ideal range, which is under 10.

oh, my point was simply that for some reason I lost well using soy as a primary protein source. I remember why now...its so lowfat. I was wondering how its omega profile is. I will simply google it now.
I have nothing against soy, just feel that I shouldn't eat much of it, now that I eat meat.

Oh well, Sue, there is omega 6 in soy, but not really a lot, and as you said, you dont really eat it a lot. So much to learn.

hi janet,

Here's a good source for the amount of AA in specific foods: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/

The numerical reference for AA is C 20:4 (n-6).

BTW, there is no AA in soy.

here's a big question: how does omega 6 relate to AA?

janet, I'd suggest reading TOXIC FAT to gain the entire picture.

thanks, Sue, I will look it up...have read it but....it's so dense, and scientific, but all the info is there! will post my understanding!

Hi everyone. I'm very new to the Zone Diet and the community. I just found Toxic Fat and was very impressed. My doctor has been advising me to make similar changes as I have high inflammation (as measured by CRP), and Type 2 Diabetes. I just wanted to add a bit about the blood tests. My local lab sends out the test to the Mayo clinic. My doc ordered both the non-esterified (free) fatty acids test, and the essential fatty acid profile test, which I think will contain all of the info. I am pasting the link to the Mayo Clinic's description of their test for the essential fatty acid profile.
http://www.mayomedicallaboratories....tive/82426
This is a blood serum test. They list which acids this tests for. Maybe this info will help folks in working with their doctor.

It'll take me awhile to read through some of the boards here, but I'm glad there is such a robust community. For those of us who suffer from chronic disease and are looking for what the Zone can provide, it helps to have this resource.

Happy New Year,
Martin

Wow, lots of fatty acids on that test, but looks like the ones that we are concerned about here are covered. It is an expensive test. If you have a diagnosis code, then maybe you can get it covered by insurance.

Martin, thanks for the info. It would be interesting to know if the Mayo Clinic testing is being performed in the same manner as that of the testing facilities recommended by Barry Sears. Good luck to you with the Zone, and have a Happy New Year!

Hi Sue and Cranberry Cat,

Thanks for the responses. Since I have been diagnosed with diabetes and high lipids, I was fortunate that my plan covers the test. There are actually tests for other sets of fatty acids, but the essential fatty acids are the ones specified here, which of course, include the ones we are interested in.

It appears there is a lot of emerging technology in this area. I started by looking up Dr. Sears' recommended list in Toxic Fat, in appendix B, on page 242. I emailed the first company, Nutrasource Diagnostics. They emailed me a sample report so I could see what they report. Very nicely organized. They're in Canada, and the test runs $200 CAD, so maybe 10% less in US dollars. You can email them at info@nutrasource.ca and request a sample "Omega Score" report to see what you'd be getting. They responded quite quickly to me.

Sue, you were mentioning types of tests. I am not a doctor, but I do like to research things. I would love to hear from one of the docs or experienced people in our forums on the differences in these tests. I notice on the Nutrasource test that they report an Omega 3 Whole Blood score. They also then report Omega-3 Serum score for the serum fatty acids, and EPA+DHA serum score, and an Omega-3 Index Red Blood Cell score, which seems to correlate to the branded method called HS-Omega 3 index that has been used in much research. On page 2, they list each of the acids by weight percentage, and the lipids totals and ratios, including AA/EPA.

Now I noticed some other folks were offering tests. David Mendosa is a very popular blogger on diabetes, and his article tomorrow addresses this very topic of Omega-3 testing. It's a good article, the link is here:

http://www.healthcentral.com/diabet...ng-omega-3

I went to the website for genesmart to look at their blood test he talks about. I've not read "Inflammation Nation", but apparently this site is from that Doctor. Now this blood test says it's a finger prick test. They are charging only $130, and I noticed they also referenced using the patented HS-Omega 3 Index, which includes the AA/EPA ratio. So, here we see the reference again to this finger prick, whole blood method. Not just measuring serum levels. The faq's for this test are here:

http://www.genesmart.com/pages/omeg...ns/192.php

I also visited Omegaquant, referenced by Mendosa, to see who designed this HS-Omega 3 Index test. Turns out the two docs, one PhD in South Dakota, and the other MD in Munich, Germany, have put a lot of research into validating this test. In fact, on the Nutrasource Red Blood Cell score, they reference these two researchers as the guys who found if the score is above 8%, you have the least chance of sudden death from myocardial infarction. The docs are Harris and von Schacky, and they have their own testing facility as well. They have excellent faqs here:

http://www.omegaquant.com/faqs/

You'll notice OmegaQuant charges $150, which seems to be an average price point for this whole blood, finger prick type test. Genesmart has theirs on discount from $150. Also, notice that Omegaquant uses RBCs and not plasma levels. Nutrasource reports both RBC and serum levels. But the various approaches seem to indicate that an accurate AA/EPA ratio can be obtained from either the Red Blood Cells or the serum. I'd love to hear more on this from other knowledgable folks.

As I was looking through the comments from David Mendosa's blog, one of the comments referenced another lab, from another long time Omega 3 researcher. Lipidlabs will be launched as Dr. Bibus' new website. The current promotional website is here:

http://www.omega3test.com/

Since this also seems to be a home test kit, I am assuming it is a finger prick, whole blood method.

But what is amazing is that this test is being offered FREE right now. That is not a typo. I don't know how long that will last. But I wanted to share that timely piece of information with the forum community. I have no connection with this or any other lab. But free is a good price, and I thought I'd pass along the tip. I've already submitted my name on the list. There's a simple online form there.

I thought to myself, I wonder why they'd offer it free. And then it hit me, you test once, you're likely to test again.

Since Dr. Sears mentions a finger prick test, I suspect it will be whole blood also, and it will still yield the all important ratio. Perhaps Zonelabs will be licensing the HS-Omega 3 Index? I don't know.

But I hope this information helps.

Thank you for welcoming me to this forum.

Happy New Year!

Martin

I recall Dr. Sears talking about introducing a home test kit in the future, and I was hoping to see it (along with a less expensive price tag).

Just for fun, I have sent for the free test kit. I have never done the testing before because of the expense(and lack of a diagnosis, so insurance won't be covering). I will also be happy to share any additional information regarding quality controls, as this is a very important part of the test results.