The DOI matches its Crossref record; 572 of the 572 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Global survey of the omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid in the blood stream of healthy adults
Open accessAbstract
Studies reporting blood levels of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were systematically identified in order to create a global map identifying countries and regions with different blood levels. Included studies were those of healthy adults, published in 1980 or later. A total of 298 studies met all inclusion criteria. Studies reported fatty acids in various blood fractions including plasma total lipids (33%), plasma phospholipid (32%), erythrocytes (32%) and whole blood (3.0%). Fatty acid data from each blood fraction were converted to relative weight percentages (wt.%) and then assigned to one of four discrete ranges (high, moderate, low, very low) corresponding to wt.% EPA+DHA in erythrocyte equivalents. Regions with high EPA+DHA blood levels (>8%) included the Sea of Japan, Scandinavia, and areas with indigenous populations or populations not fully adapted to Westernized food habits. Very low blood levels (≤4%) were observed in North America, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa. The present review reveals considerable variability in blood levels of EPA+DHA and the very low to low range of blood EPA+DHA for most of the world may increase global risk for chronic disease.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Data revealed that geographical regions with high EPA + DHA blood levels (> 8%) included countries adjacent to the Sea of Japan, Scandinavia, and areas with indigenous populations or populations not fully adapted to Westernized food habits.”
From Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: Review of recent studies and recommendations (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
In the citing paper
“Very low blood levels (≤ 4%) were observed in North, Central, and South America, Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa.”
From Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: Review of recent studies and recommendations (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
In the citing paper
“The authors concluded that, globally, there is considerable variability in EPA + DHA blood levels, and that the very low to low range of blood EPA + DHA levels for most regions of the world may increase global risk for chronic disease.”
From Role of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in human nutrition and health: Review of recent studies and recommendations (2021) · cites this paper as [25]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Global status report on noncommunicable diseases 2010.
Alwan, A. (2011) · Cited by 8,494
Burr, M. L., Gilbert, J. F., Holliday, R. M., Elwood, P. C., Fehily, A. M., Rogers, S., Sweetnam, P. M., & Deadman, N. M. (1989) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(89)90828-3 · Cited by 2,610
Yokoyama, M., Origasa, H., Matsuzaki, M., Matsuzawa, Y., Saito, Y., Ishikawa, Y., Oikawa, S., Sasaki, J., Hishida, H., Itakura, H., et al. (2007) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(07)60527-3 · Cited by 2,516
(1999) · PubMed · Cited by 2,062
Fish Intake, Contaminants, and Human Health: Evaluating the Risks and the Benefits
Mozaffarian, D., & Rimm, E. B. (2006) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.296.15.1885 · Cited by 1,966
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Cardiovascular Disease
Mozaffarian, D., & Wu, J. H. Y. (2011) · Journal of the American College of Cardiology · doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2011.06.063 · Cited by 1,771
GISSI-HF investigators (2008) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(08)61239-8 · Cited by 1,350
Blood Levels of Long-Chain n–3 Fatty Acids and the Risk of Sudden Death
Albert, C. M., Campos, H., Stampfer, M. J., Ridker, P. M., Manson, J. E., Willett, W. C., & Ma, J. (2002) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejmoa012918 · Cited by 1,146
The Omega-3 Index: A new risk factor for death from coronary heart disease?
Harris, W. S., & von Schacky, C. (2004) · Preventive Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2004.02.030 · Cited by 1,111
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Calder, P., Carr, A., Gombart, A., & Eggersdorfer, M. (2020) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu12041181 · Cited by 972
Tocher, D., Betancor, M., Sprague, M., Olsen, R., & Napier, J. (2019) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu11010089 · Cited by 615
Omega-3 fatty acids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease
Abdelhamid, A. S., Brown, T. J., Brainard, J. S., Biswas, P., Thorpe, G. C., Moore, H. J., Deane, K. H., Summerbell, C. D., Worthington, H. V., Song, F., et al. (2020) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd003177.pub5 · Cited by 295
Harris, W. S., Del Gobbo, L., & Tintle, N. L. (2017) · Atherosclerosis · doi:10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2017.05.007 · Cited by 183
Microalgae as Sources of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids: Biotechnological Aspects
Barta, D. G., Coman, V., & Vodnar, D. C. (2021) · Algal Research · doi:10.1016/j.algal.2021.102410 · Cited by 178
Importance of EPA and DHA Blood Levels in Brain Structure and Function
von Schacky, C. (2021) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu13041074 · Cited by 174
Van Dael, P. (2021) · Nutrition Research and Practice · doi:10.4162/nrp.2021.15.2.137 · Cited by 138
Bannenberg, G., Mallon, C., Edwards, H., Yeadon, D., Yan, K., Johnson, H., & Ismail, A. (2017) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-017-01470-4 · Cited by 87
Desale, S. E., & Chinnathambi, S. (2021) · Cell Communication and Signaling · doi:10.1186/s12964-021-00715-0 · Cited by 81
Direct and indirect effects of lipids on microglia function
Leyrolle, Q., Layé, S., & Nadjar, A. (2019) · Neuroscience Letters · doi:10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134348 · Cited by 50
Yang, B., Shi, M.-Q., Li, Z.-H., Shi, L., Wang, A.-M., Guo, X.-J., & Li, D. (2019) · Food & Function · doi:10.1039/c8fo01707g · Cited by 28
Dietary and serum n -3 PUFA and polycystic ovary syndrome: a matched case–control study
Lu, L., Li, X., Lv, L., Xu, Y., Wu, B., & Huang, C. (2022) · British Journal of Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s0007114521003007 · Cited by 20
Omega-3 and risk of atrial fibrillation: vagally-mediated double-edged sword
O'Keefe, E. L., O'Keefe, J. H., Abuissa, H., Metzinger, M., Murray, E., Franco, G., Lavie, C. J., & Harris, W. S. (2025) · Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases · doi:10.1016/j.pcad.2024.11.003 · Cited by 12
Is There Something Fishy About Fish Oil?
Šunderić, M., Robajac, D., Gligorijević, N., Miljuš, G., Nedić, O., Smilkov, K., Ackova, D. G., Rudić-Grujić, V., & Penezić, A. (2019) · Current Pharmaceutical Design · doi:10.2174/1381612825666190705185800 · Cited by 5
Metadata
- Authors
- Stark, K. D., Van Elswyk, M. E., Higgins, M. R., Weatherford, C. A., & Salem, N.
- Affiliations
- University of Waterloo (CA)
- Weatherford (United States) (US)
- Corresponding author
- Stark, Ken D.
- ORCID
- Stark, Ken D.
- Venue
- Progress in Lipid Research
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-07
- Volume
- 63
- Pages
- 132-152
- ISSN
- 0163-7827 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2400784246
- Cited by
- 519
- References
- 572
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 38 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 83 · 2020: 67 · 2019: 66 · 2018: 51 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 8
- FWCI
- 6.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Progress in Lipid Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UWSpace (University of Waterloo) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Fatty Acid Research and Health
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Keywords
- omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, blood fatty acid levels, plasma phospholipids, erythrocyte fatty acids, regional variation, healthy adults, chronic disease risk, dietary fat intake
- MeSH terms
- Docosahexaenoic Acids, Erythrocytes, Fatty Acids, Humans, Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Biomarkers, Fatty Acids, Omega-3, Databases, Factual, Dietary Supplements
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
