Genes That Affect Fish Oil Levels in Your Blood
Genetic association between FADS and ELOVL polymorphisms and the circulating levels of EPA/DHA in humans: a scoping review
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
No conclusive link between ELOVL gene variants and EPA/DHA levels despite their biological role in elongating fatty acids.
ELOVL2 and ELOVL5 are critical enzymes in making long-chain omega-3s, so scientists expected strong genetic links — but only 40 studies existed, and data was too sparse.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re vegetarian or vegan and have low omega-3 levels, consider getting tested for FADS variants — you might need pre-formed DHA/EPA supplements.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
No conclusive link between ELOVL gene variants and EPA/DHA levels despite their biological role in elongating fatty acids.
ELOVL2 and ELOVL5 are critical enzymes in making long-chain omega-3s, so scientists expected strong genetic links — but only 40 studies existed, and data was too sparse.
Practical Takeaways
If you’re vegetarian or vegan and have low omega-3 levels, consider getting tested for FADS variants — you might need pre-formed DHA/EPA supplements.
Publication
Journal
Genes & Nutrition
Year
2024
Authors
Insaf Loukil, D. Mutch, Mélanie Plourde
Related Content
Claims (6)
Your brain needs certain fats that are mostly found in animal foods, and your body isn’t very good at making them from plant fats.
If you have a certain version of a gene called FADS1, it might make it harder for your body to turn plant fats into important brain and heart-healthy fats like EPA and DHA—because of how that gene is switched on or off.
We don't have enough good studies to say if certain gene changes affect how your body processes omega-3 fats like EPA and DHA — the results so far are all over the place.
If you have a certain version of a gene called FADS1 (like the T version of rs174537), you might naturally have lower levels of healthy omega-3 fats like EPA and DHA in your blood — and this has been seen in many different groups of people.
Some gene changes in the FADS gene tend to be inherited together, so it's hard to tell which one is actually affecting omega-3 levels like EPA and DHA.