What It Measures
EPA and DHA, measured where they matter
The Omega-3 Index is a simple at-home test: a few drops of blood from a finger prick, dried on a card, mailed to the lab. It measures the combined percentage of EPA and DHA — the two long-chain omega-3 fats — in your red blood cell membranes. Results typically come back in 1-2 weeks.
Omega-3 fatty acids are structural fats — they are built directly into every cell membrane in the body, supporting Exchange (how nutrients, signals, and gases move across the membrane) and feeding into the healthy inflammatory response that lives under Maintain. A low index means the membranes your cells are built from are running short on omega-3 — a structural measurement, not a symptom checklist.
Three Ways In
Three ways to move your Omega-3 Index
Once you know your number, here's how to move it — from the economy entry point to the option that goes past the index entirely. Same starting idea, three levels of what you get.
Optimum Omega
The basic, economy way in
A solid, straightforward source of EPA and DHA formulated to start raising your Omega-3 Index from wherever it's sitting today — the accessible starting point.
Marine Omega
Maximizes your Omega-3 Index
Higher-potency EPA and DHA plus marine antioxidants — formulated as the strongest single mover on the Omega-3 Index in our lineup.
ageLOC Youth
Goes beyond the Omega-3 Index
Raises omega-3 status the same way, then adds LifeGen's gene-expression layer on top — the most comprehensive option of the three.
These aren't three unrelated SKUs. They're designed as one adaptive system — each option builds on the same omega-3 foundation, so stacking nutrient status, absorption, and cell mechanisms together magnifies the effect rather than duplicating it.
Beyond The Index
ageLOC Youth and the LifeGen gene-expression layer
Marine Omega and Optimum Omega both work on the Omega-3 Index itself — the EPA and DHA built into your cell membranes. ageLOC Youth does that too, and then goes a step further into gene expression.
LifeGen Technologies mapped what it calls Youth Gene Clusters — groups of genes whose expression pattern tends to shift as we age. ageLOC Youth is formulated to influence the expression of certain clusters toward a more youthful pattern, similar to the shifts researchers observe with caloric restriction. This is gene expression, not gene editing — it's about which genes are being read and how actively, not a change to your DNA itself.
What this means and doesn't mean: gene expression support, not gene editing, not reversing aging, and not a claim to treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This is structure/function education, not a diagnosis or a guarantee of outcome.
What Lab Tests Will This Improve?
Which measurements move, and how
Lab tests are not diseases. They are measurements of how your cells and organs are functioning. These nutrients do not treat any disease — but they influence what these lab measurements show, through a specific mechanism. Here is which measurements each one moves, and how.
EPA / DHA (marine omega-3)
- EPA / DHA (marine omega-3) → Omega-3 Index: EPA and DHA incorporate directly into red blood cell membrane phospholipids, so the index is a direct structural readout of how much has been built into cell membranes over roughly the prior three to four months of intake.
- EPA / DHA (marine omega-3) → Triglycerides: At combined doses above roughly 3g/day, EPA and DHA reliably lower triglycerides 15-30% by reducing how much triglyceride-rich VLDL the liver outputs.
- EPA / DHA (marine omega-3) → hs-CRP (inflammation): Omega-3s shift eicosanoid signaling toward a healthier inflammatory response; modest hs-CRP reductions show up in some trials, though the effect is inconsistent across the literature.
- EPA / DHA (marine omega-3) → ApoB / particle number: By lowering triglyceride-rich VLDL particles, omega-3 intake can modestly lower ApoB particle count, though effects on LDL particle number specifically are inconsistent and some trials show LDL-C rising slightly at high doses.
This is education about how nutrition influences function measurements — it is not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for your provider or standard labs.
How the test works
01
Order the kit
OmegaQuant kits ship straight to your door — no lab visit, no appointment.
02
Finger-prick sample
A few drops of blood on a card, done at your kitchen table in a couple minutes.
03
Mail it in
Prepaid mailer back to the lab — no cold packs, no special handling.
04
Results in 1-2 weeks
Your EPA + DHA percentage, with the reference range alongside it.
No lab visit, no appointment, no needle beyond the finger prick. Everything ships to and from your home.
Where To Get It
OmegaQuant — the reference lab
OmegaQuant is the lab founded by Dr. William Harris, who co-invented the Omega-3 Index in 2004. It remains the reputable, widely cited source for this specific measurement, and its kits are available directly through Amazon in three tiers.
Basic
~$54.95
The Omega-3 Index itself — your EPA + DHA as a percentage of red blood cell fatty acids.
Get the Basic kitPlus
~$79.95
Everything in Basic, plus trans-fat levels and your omega-6:omega-3 ratio.
Complete
~$99.95
Everything in Plus, plus the AA:EPA ratio — a fuller picture of membrane fatty acid balance.
Prices approximate and subject to change on Amazon. Plus and Complete tiers are also ordered directly through OmegaQuant.