What My Blood Test Taught Me About Omega‑3 (and Why It Matters for Runners)
As a runner I’m always focused on how best to support my body. Yet after my pregnancy I noticed my body felt different. Less sleep, more often tired and an immune system that wasn’t the same as before. We’re quick to assume that this ‘comes with it’. Maybe that’s partly true. But it made me think: could I support my body better from the inside?
That’s how I came to omega‑3.
To be honest, I thought I was already getting enough. I eat healthily, train a lot, regularly eat fish, walnuts and flaxseed and actually never choose fast food. Still, a blood test showed my omega‑3 status wasn’t as good as I’d expected.
My results
Omega‑3 index: 6.4%
Omega‑6:3 ratio: 17.6:1
Goal: retest my values in 3 months.
An omega‑3 index of 6.4% isn’t extremely low, but it isn’t optimal either. The ratio was what caught my attention. My result actually shows exactly what you often see in the Western diet: we unknowingly consume a lot of omega‑6, while omega‑3 lags behind. By adding more omega‑3, that ratio shifts back more towards balance. Since then I’ve viewed omega‑3 very differently. Not as a supplement, but as an important building block for a healthy, well‑functioning body.
Why omega‑3 is important
Most people know omega‑3 as a fatty acid that ‘reduces inflammation’. But that term is actually too simple. After training small damages occur in your muscles. That is precisely the stimulus your body needs to become stronger. To repair that damage, your body initiates an inflammatory response.
Omega‑3 then helps to regulate that response. Not by switching inflammation off, but by ensuring the recovery process returns to balance. That balance is exactly what matters when you regularly load your body.
“As runners we often invest in good shoes, training plans and recovery tools. But the building blocks with which our bodies repair themselves ultimately come from our diet.”
It starts with your cells
While delving into my test results I came across something that’s actually very logical, but we rarely stop to consider: the fats you eat literally become part of your body’s cells. Every cell is surrounded by a cell membrane. That membrane determines, among other things, how cells communicate and which substances move in and out.
Ultimately all the nutrients you eat have to do their work inside those cells. Carbohydrates provide energy, proteins support repair and vitamins and minerals play a role in countless processes. Well‑functioning cells are the basis for all of those processes, and omega‑3 is one of the building blocks of healthy cell membranes.
That made me think. As runners we often pay a lot of attention to proteins, magnesium or electrolytes. But in the end all those nutrients have to do their work in the same body cells. Maybe it isn’t so odd to start with the basics.
It’s all about balance
What I also found interesting is that it’s often not only about how much omega‑3 you consume, but also about the balance with omega‑6. Both fatty acids are essential. Your body cannot make them itself, so you depend on what you eat.
Nowadays we often get a lot of omega‑6 through our diet without even realising it. Mainly because vegetable oils, such as sunflower, soy and maize oil, are used in a huge number of products. Think ready meals, sauces, snacks and even most grains, nuts and nut butters.
Omega‑6 is by no means bad; you need it. But when omega‑3 falls behind, that balance becomes skewed.
Small side note: peanut butter also contains quite a lot of omega‑6. My jar has been looking at me very differently since my test results… I’ll keep enjoying it, but a bit more mindfully.
Why this is relevant for runners
Every training session demands something of your body. Not only while you’re running, but especially afterwards. Recovery is ultimately the moment when you become stronger. As runners we often invest in good shoes, training plans and recovery tools. But the building blocks with which our bodies repair themselves ultimately come from our diet.
Omega‑3 is not a miracle cure. But for me it has become part of the basics.
To be continued…
My test results were a good wake‑up call. Over the coming months I’ll pay more attention to my omega‑3 intake and… perhaps eat a little less peanut butter.
I’m mainly curious how much difference a few months of consciously choosing more omega‑3 can make, both in my blood values and in how I feel. As soon as I have my new test results, I’ll of course share them again.
