Metabolic health
Nervonic acid (C24:1n-9)
Included in Complete.
Compare membershipsPlentiful in the brain, and still being studied in blood.
Nervonic acid is a very long-chain omega-9 fat, the same family as oleic acid in olive oil. It's plentiful in the brain, where it's part of the fats that help form myelin, the protective coating around nerve fibres.
Blood levels and brain levels are different questions.
Much of the interest in nervonic acid comes from its role in myelin and from animal studies of supplements. A blood result doesn't show how much nervonic acid is in your brain.
Studies of blood levels in people are few and mixed. In one German study of people referred for heart testing, higher red blood cell levels were linked with a modestly higher risk of death over about 10 years. These people were already being checked for heart disease, so the finding may not apply to everyone, and the authors called for more research.
Questions
What does my nervonic acid result mean?
There's no established clinical interpretation yet. Your result adds detail to your overall fatty acid profile, and it's best read with your other results and health history.
Is nervonic acid an omega-3 or omega-6 fat?
It's neither. It's an omega-9 fat, the same family as oleic acid. Your body can make omega-9 fats, while omega-3 and omega-6 fats have to come at least partly from food.
Sources and references
- Phung et al., Nervonic acid and its sphingolipids: biological functions (Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2024)
- Delgado et al., Individual omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acids and mortality, Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health Study (J Clin Lipidol, 2017)
- Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Fatty Acid Profile, Essential, Serum (test overview)