Complete Fatty Acid Profile

What is the Complete Fatty Acid Profile?

The Complete Fatty Acid Profile is our most comprehensive offering — a full 24-analyte panel that provides a detailed breakdown of all major fatty acid classes in red blood cell membranes. Using gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID), this test quantifies saturated, monounsaturated, omega-3 polyunsaturated, omega-6 polyunsaturated, and trans fatty acids from a dried blood spot (DBS) or liquid blood sample.

Unlike our focused Omega-3 Index or Omega-3 Plus Ratios tests, the Complete Profile delivers the full picture — every individual fatty acid is measured and reported as a percentage of total fatty acids, alongside all key indices and clinically relevant ratios.

This is the test of choice for research studies, clinical trials, and any application where a complete fatty acid status assessment is required.

What does the test measure?

The 24 individual fatty acids are grouped into five classes. All values are reported as a percentage of total fatty acids (% wt/wt).

Saturated Fatty Acids (SFA)

Analyte	Common Name	Lipid Number
Myristic acid	Myristic	C14:0
Palmitic acid	Palmitic	C16:0
Stearic acid	Stearic	C18:0
Arachidic acid	Arachidic	C20:0
Behenic acid	Behenic	C22:0
Lignoceric acid	Lignoceric	C24:0

Monounsaturated Fatty Acids (MUFA)

Analyte	Common Name	Lipid Number
Palmitoleic acid	Palmitoleic	C16:1n-7
Oleic acid	Oleic	C18:1n-9
Eicosenoic acid	Gondoic	C20:1n-9
Nervonic acid	Nervonic	C24:1n-9

Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-3 PUFA)

Analyte	Common Name	Lipid Number
Alpha-linolenic acid	ALA	C18:3n-3
Eicosapentaenoic acid	EPA	C20:5n-3
Docosapentaenoic acid	DPA	C22:5n-3
Docosahexaenoic acid	DHA	C22:6n-3

Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (n-6 PUFA)

Analyte	Common Name	Lipid Number
Linoleic acid	LA	C18:2n-6
Gamma-linolenic acid	GLA	C18:3n-6
Eicosadienoic acid	Eicosadienoic	C20:2n-6
Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid	DGLA	C20:3n-6
Arachidonic acid	AA	C20:4n-6
Docosatetraenoic acid	DTA	C22:4n-6
Docosapentaenoic acid (n-6)	DPA n-6	C22:5n-6

Trans Fatty Acids

Analyte	Common Name	Lipid Number
Elaidic acid	Trans-oleic	C18:1t
Linoelaidic acid	Trans-linoleic	C18:2t
Trans-palmitoleic acid	Trans-palmitoleic	C16:1t

Calculated Indices and Ratios

In addition to the 24 individual fatty acids, the report includes the following calculated indices:

• Omega-3 Index — EPA + DHA as a percentage of total red blood cell fatty acids
• Trans Fat Index — sum of all trans fatty acids as a percentage of total fatty acids
• Omega-6:Omega-3 Ratio — total n-6 PUFA divided by total n-3 PUFA
• AA:EPA Ratio — arachidonic acid to eicosapentaenoic acid ratio
• SFA% — total saturated fatty acids as a percentage of total fatty acids
• MUFA% — total monounsaturated fatty acids as a percentage of total fatty acids
• PUFA% — total polyunsaturated fatty acids as a percentage of total fatty acids

Who needs the full profile?

The Complete Fatty Acid Profile is designed for situations where a focused Omega-3 Index is not sufficient and a comprehensive fatty acid assessment is required:

• Research and clinical studies — population screening, intervention trials, and epidemiological research requiring the full spectrum of fatty acid data for statistical analysis
• Comprehensive patient assessment — functional medicine practitioners and clinical nutritionists who need the complete fatty acid picture to design personalised dietary and supplementation protocols
• Supplement formulation and validation — brands developing or validating omega-3, omega-6, or multi-fatty-acid products who need to measure impact across all fatty acid classes
• Chronic disease management — monitoring patients with cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, inflammatory conditions, or neurological disorders where multiple fatty acid ratios are clinically relevant
• Baseline and longitudinal tracking — establishing a complete fatty acid baseline and monitoring changes over time in response to dietary interventions

Report features

Every Complete Fatty Acid Profile report includes:

• Individual quantification of all 24 fatty acids (% of total fatty acids)
• Fatty acid class summaries — Total Saturated, Total Monounsaturated, Total Omega-3, Total Omega-6, Total Trans
• Omega-3 Index with colour-coded risk zones (Low / Suboptimal / Optimal / Elevated / High)
• Omega-6:Omega-3 and AA:EPA ratios with reference ranges
• Trans Fat Index
• Visual composition charts, donut graphs, and colour-coded status indicators
• Personalised EPA+DHA dose recommendation and dietary guidance
• Results journey chart for tracking progress across repeat tests
• Clinically formatted report delivered via the Masdiag client portal