There is no single right answer. A light skinned person, wearing a bathing suit, will make about 15,000 IU of vitamin D in 15-20 minutes or less in July at midday. Darker-skinned individuals can do the same, but it will take much longer.
The brief exposure needed to produce adequate vitamin D is not enough to cause skin cancer. However, if you are worried about that risk, apply sunscreen before the skin turns pink (time varies based on skin type). Always avoid sunburn.
The body needs at least 4000 IU/day in order to maintain a healthy concentration of 25(OH)D in the blood, and this amount can vary greatly between individuals. Because most of us don’t get enough sun exposure, the little vitamin D we get that way, plus food and fortified food sources, totals no more than about 2000 IU/day. Thus, in order to meet the body’s need for vitamin D, the most accurate way to estimate a daily required intake is to measure the baseline vitamin D level (to give us an estimate of what we receive from sun and food) and calculate a daily supplemental dose based on baseline level and desired target level using the Vitamin D*Calculator.
You received an email from GrassrootsHealth with a subject “Thanks for joining D*action”, the participant ID is in that email. Alternatively, you may login to D*action (https://daction.grassrootshealth.net/tests/); scroll down the page until you see a box; click on “Start or review the D*action Participant Questionnaire now”. The next page that appears lists your participant ID right under the header.
Go to https://daction.grassrootshealth.net/tests/ and click on “Need New or Forgot Password?” in the left column. The system will then email you a new password. Use this password to login. You may then change your password by clicking on “account settings” in the left column.
The same way you did the first one! Please login to D*action (https://daction.grassrootshealth.net/tests/) and complete the questionnaire. Your old data has been saved and except for your primary information, the questionnaire is clear. Please carefully review your answers. When you get to the end, if you have already paid (a subscription), do not enter your credit card in PayPal again – we already have your payment. Then, complete the blood spot test, return it, and await your results!
You will create a new login and password at https://omega3d.grassrootshealth.net/register to join D*action+Omega-3. You may use the same email address as your former D*action account, but write the new ID that is generated for you on this web page when you turn in your blood spot cards. Your D*action login, password and ID are still all valid for D*action – but if you are choosing to test both nutrients going forward you will use this new login and password.
The Omega-3 Index measures the amount of EPA and DHA in your red blood cells. Your test results can help you understand your current Omega-3 status and track changes over time.
Your Omega-3 levels can be influenced by the foods you eat and the amount of EPA and DHA you consume. Increasing Omega-3-rich foods and making appropriate dietary changes may help improve your Omega-3 status over time.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids both play important roles in the body. Measuring your fatty acid levels and ratios can provide insight into your individual balance and help you track changes as you adjust your diet or nutrient intake.
You can order your test kit from the dashboard within your new account generated at https://omega3d.grassrootshealth.net.
People can respond differently to the same supplement. Factors such as the amount and type of Omega-3 consumed, consistency of use, diet, absorption, and individual differences can all affect changes in your Omega-3 status.
Retesting allows you to monitor changes in your Omega-3 status over time, particularly after making changes to your diet or supplement routine. Your ideal testing schedule may depend on your individual health and tracking goals.
Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are involved in many processes throughout the body, including pathways associated with inflammation. Measuring your fatty acid status and ratios, along with other markers when appropriate, can provide additional information about your overall health status.
A single finger prick should provide enough blood to measure your Omega-3 Index. This eliminates the need to have your blood drawn at a clinic and the hassle of sending hazardous materials (blood) through the mail. You can collect your sample and send it through the mail from the comfort of your own home!
The Omega-3 Index test can give you an unbiased view of your dietary intake of omega-3s as well as a relative measure of heart disease risk.
Other fatty acid tests do not use the same analysis methods and cannot be interchanged with the Omega-3 Index.
The unique method used with the Omega-3 Index test has more research behind it than any other commercially-available test, and new studies continue to be published.
A. It differs in several ways.
First, the sample types the lab typically uses (red blood cells or dried blood spots versus whole plasma or plasma phospholipids). Each of these sample types has a unique fatty acid profile, so you cannot compare the EPA+DHA level in RBCs to the EPA+DHA level in plasma, or in plasma phospholipids – the numbers will be quite different, even from the same lab. So regardless of which lab you choose to work with, you should always order the same type of test if you want to be able to track trends in the same patient over time. The lab we use focuses on RBC and whole blood (dried blood spot) analyses because from either one they can provide the Omega-3 Index. These metrics provide the best reflection of tissue omega-3 fatty acid status. In addition, there is considerably more day-to-day variation in the plasma tests than in the RBC – (or whole blood) – based tests, and an acute load of omega-3 fatty acids (from fish or capsules) will significantly perturb the plasma-based markers but not the RBCs.
B. The uniqueness of the specific method used by the lab
Second, even if you order the RBC-based assay from two different labs, there is no guarantee that you’ll get the same answer. That’s a big problem. The reason is that, unlike serum cholesterol or glucose or calcium, there is no standardized method (i.e., internationally recognized gold standard) to which all labs must peg their assays. There is no standard test material to which all labs are required to conform. So your EPA+DHA, for example, might be 6.7% in Lab A and 5.2% in Lab B. Which one is “right?” We don’t know what “right” is because there is no formal standard. However, obtaining the Omega-3 Index from the lab we use guarantees you a metric that has been accepted in over 100 research publications over the last 9 years, making it the most published of all the commercially-available methods. A significant advantage of the Omega-3 Index test is the ability to correlate it to clinical outcomes from major epidemiological and interventions studies.
C. The provision of dietary recommendations to correct deviations from “normal”
The research supporting a target of 8% is strong, and it is known that you can specifically raise the Index by eating more omega-3. We don’t, however, know exactly how much EPA+DHA any particular person should be told to take to achieve the 8% target. People differ, and so each person’s response to supplemental omega-3s will vary. Just like one cannot predict how much serum cholesterol will go down when a patient is placed on statins, we cannot accurately predict how the Omega-3 Index will respond to an increased intake; it must be individually tested.
The target Omega-3 Index is 8% and above, a level that current research indicates is associated with the lowest risk* for death from coronary heart disease (CHD). This is also a typical level in Japan, a country with one of the lowest rates of sudden cardiac death in the world. On the other hand, an Index of 4% or less (which is common in the US) indicates the highest risk*. At present, there is no reason to suggest that the target should be different for men vs. women, or for different age groups. Whether there is an upper limit of safety for the Index is not clear, but there is likely a value above which there is not likely to be any additional health benefit. Further research will help define this level.
*In this context, “risk” refers only to that associated with differing levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Risks associated with other factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, family history of CHD, smoking, or other cardiac conditions are completely independent of the Omega-3 Index. All risk factors – including the Omega-3 Index—should be addressed as part of any global risk reduction strategy.
Yes, but first measure your blood spots if you have one spot that is 6 mm (1/4”) in diameter, then the card is valid. Or you can have 2 spots that are (1/8”) 4.5 mm in diameter. If you didn’t get that much blood, email customerservice@grassrootshealth.org and we can mail you another blood spot card and lancets.
The kit itself does not expire, however the completed Omega-3 Index blood spot sample does expire 28 days after the date of collection. Because of this, it is important to send your blood spot test back to GrassrootsHealth immediately after completion, and to complete your online health questionnaire as quickly as possible to avoid delay in processing.
If you delay too much in filling out the questionnaire after your either your Omega-3 Index or vitamin D blood spot date, then we may ask you to fill out another blood spot card.
Absolutely! You may advertise our web site as much as you want. Doctors and other health care practitioners are also encouraged to complete our free vitamin D CMEs to become a GrassrootsHealth Certified D*practitioner, after which you can request to be listed on our website. More information can be found on our D*practitioner page.
While we cannot personally recommend a specific doctor for your needs, our D*practitioner page has a list doctors and other health care providers who have completed at least one of our vitamin D CME courses. If your doctor does not seem familiar with vitamin D, when you visit your doctor, take a copy of the Disease Incidence Prevention Chart and the Call to D*action and discuss it with him/her. That’s a good way to start!
Sunny Hippocrates is our Al assistant trained exclusively on Grassroots Health research, publications, FAQs, and resources.
Click Sunny in the lower right corner anytime to start a conversation! Sunny is always here to help.
