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. 2010 Feb;43(3):338-40.
doi: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2009.08.016. Epub 2009 Sep 3.

Biological variability of blood omega-3 biomarkers

William S Harris  1 , Rachael M Thomas
Affiliations

Biological variability of blood omega-3 biomarkers

William S Harris et al. Clin Biochem. 2010 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: We conducted a pilot study to estimate the biological variability and effects of a prior meal on the omega-3 fatty acid (FA) content of 3 blood FA pools.

Design and methods: We measured FA levels in red blood cells (RBCs), plasma and plasma phospholipids (PL) obtained from 20 healthy volunteers tested weekly over 6 weeks.

Results: The within-subject coefficients of variation were 4.1%+/-1.9%, 15.9%+/-6.4%, and 14.5%+/-8.4%, respectively (RBC vs. others, p<0.001). RBC omega-3 FA content had the lowest biological variability and was not altered in the fed state.

Conclusions: From the perspective of variability and of the sample types tested, RBCs may be the preferred sample type for assessing omega-3 FA status.

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