Abstract
Dietary fats can play a role in life-long health outcomes. The role of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in health and disease has been a keen focus of researchers for over 50 years. Recently the focus of this research has turned to the beneficial role of the omega-3 (n-3) PUFA on health outcomes including heart disease and the prevention of preterm birth. From the standpoint of clinical practice, there has been a call for reliable screening tests that can predict risk. Two tests, both involving the measurement of n-3 PUFA in blood or its fractions, have become prominent, namely, the ‘omega-3 index’ as a predictor of cardiovascular disease risk and the ‘total n-3’ pregnancy test as a predictor of risk of premature birth. We provide an overview for pathologists, clinicians and nutritionists of the methodology and terminology related to the n-3 biomarkers to aid their interpretation of proposed cut-point values for health risk.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 29-36 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Clinical Biochemist Reviews |
Volume | 44 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published or Issued - 2024 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Biochemistry