The new study from the Fatty Acid Research Institute looked at blood samples analyzed as part of previous studies. The research was published recently in the journal Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids.
Width distribution carries health implications
The study is a result of a second look at blood samples that were submitted for routine testing at a laboratory in Richmond, VA in 2011 and 2012. The goal was to see if there was a relationship between the Omega-3 Index and a measurement called Red Blood Cell Distribution Width (RDW).
RDW measures the distribution of sizes of the red blood cells themselves. The graph of cell sizes for a ‘healthier’ individual is narrow. A graph that shows a broad distribution of sizes, a wider-based bell curve, in other words, is associated with a number of disease conditions, including nutritional deficiencies, greater risk of heart disease and others.
One of the theories here is that more EPA and DHA in the cell membranes (which is what the Omega-3 Index measures) is associated with more resilient red blood cells that will show fewer odd sizes and shapes on the distribution graph. Thus, they will move through the circulatory system more easily.
The authors said red blood cells are the most abundant cell type in the body and carry out the critical function of delivering oxygen to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide. In order to do this they have to squeeze through capillaries that are only half the width of the average cell and so must be able to accommodate significant shear stress.