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Phytanic Acid details
What Phytanic Acid shows
Phytanic acid is a branched-chain fatty acid that comes from your diet, mainly dairy products, meat and fat from grazing animals, and some fish. It is normally broken down in cell compartments called peroxisomes. This blood test is used to look for rare inherited conditions in which that breakdown fails, such as Refsum disease and other peroxisomal disorders. A raised level suggests phytanic acid is building up, which in these conditions can affect nerves, vision and skin. Diet influences the level, so it is interpreted alongside pristanic acid, very-long-chain fatty acids and clinical findings, and abnormal results usually lead to further specialist testing.
Tests that include Phytanic Acid
Comprehensive Fatty Acids (C8-C26), to evaluate patients for certain mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation defects, peroxisomal defects, and/or a full nutritional assessment. It can also be used to monitor patients receiving a special diet and/or fatty acid supplementation.
Biomarkers
- A-Linolenic C18:3W3 Measures alpha-linolenic acid in serum, the plant-based omega-3 fatty acid that comes from foods like flaxseed, walnuts and canola oil.
- Arachidic, C20:0 Measures arachidic acid in serum, a saturated fatty acid found in small amounts in peanuts and some vegetable oils.
- Arachidonic, C20:4W6 Measures arachidonic acid in serum, an omega-6 fatty acid from meat, eggs and dairy that the body uses to make inflammation-related signalling molecules.
- Decanoic, C10:0 Measures decanoic acid (C10:0), a medium-chain saturated fatty acid, as part of a serum fatty acid panel that can help look at fat metabolism.
- Decenoic, C10:1 Measures decenoic acid (C10:1), a medium-chain unsaturated fatty acid, as part of a serum fatty acid panel that can help look at fat metabolism.
- Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA), C22:6 Omega-3 Measures DHA (C22:6 omega-3), a long-chain omega-3 fatty acid from fish and seafood, in serum as part of a fatty acid panel.
- Docosanoic Acid, C22:0 Measures docosanoic (behenic) acid, C22:0, a very long-chain saturated fatty acid, as part of a serum fatty acid panel.
- Docosenoic, C22:1 Measures docosenoic acid (C22:1), a very long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid such as erucic acid, as part of a serum fatty acid panel.
- Docosapentaenoic Acid (DPA), C22:5 Omega-3 Measures omega-3 DPA (C22:5 omega-3), a long-chain fatty acid between EPA and DHA, in serum as part of a fatty acid panel.
- Docosapentaenoic Acid (DPA), C22:5 Omega-6 Measures omega-6 DPA (C22:5 omega-6), a long-chain omega-6 fatty acid, in serum as part of a fatty acid panel looking at fat balance.
- Docosatetraenoic Acid (DTA), C22:4 Omega-6 Measures DTA (adrenic acid, C22:4 omega-6), a long-chain omega-6 fatty acid made from arachidonic acid, in serum as part of a fatty acid panel.
- Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA), C20:5 Omega-3 Measures eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), an omega-3 fatty acid, in serum to help assess your omega-3 intake and overall fatty acid balance.
- Fatty Acids, Total The total amount of fatty acids measured in your serum, used as the reference point for interpreting the individual fatty acids in the panel.
- G Linolenic, C18:3W6 Measures gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid, in serum to help assess omega-6 metabolism and overall fatty acid balance.
- H G Linolenic, C20:3W6 Dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid measured in serum fatty acid panels to look at essential fatty acid balance and omega-6 metabolism.
- Hexacosanoic, C26:0 Measures hexacosanoic acid (C26:0), a very long-chain fatty acid, in serum; raised levels can point to inherited peroxisomal disorders.
- Hexacosenoic, C26:1 A very-long-chain monounsaturated fatty acid measured in serum as part of a comprehensive fatty acid profile, mainly to look at how your body handles very long fatty acids.
- Hexadecadienoic, C16:2 A minor 16-carbon polyunsaturated fatty acid measured in serum as part of fatty acid panels that look at nutrition and how your body breaks down fats.
- Hexadecenoic C16:1W9 A 16-carbon omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acid measured in serum as part of fatty acid panels that look at dietary fat intake and fat metabolism.
- Lauric, C12:0 A 12-carbon saturated fatty acid found in coconut and palm kernel oil, measured in serum fatty acid panels to look at diet and fat metabolism.
- Lauroleic, C12:1 A minor 12-carbon monounsaturated fatty acid measured in serum fatty acid panels that look at diet and how your body breaks fats down for energy.
- Linoleic C18:2W6 Linoleic acid (C18:2 omega-6), the main omega-6 essential fatty acid, measured in serum fatty acid panels to look at your essential fatty acid status.
- Mead Acid/Arachidon Ratio A ratio calculated from Mead acid and arachidonic acid in serum, used as a marker of essential fatty acid status.
- Mead, C20:3W9 Measures Mead acid, an omega-9 fatty acid your body makes when essential fatty acids are scarce, to help assess essential fatty acid status.
- Monounsaturated, Total The combined serum level of monounsaturated fatty acids, such as oleic acid, giving an overview of this fat group in your blood.
- Myristic, C14:0 Measures myristic acid, a saturated fatty acid found in dairy fat and coconut and palm kernel oils, as part of a serum fatty acid profile.
- Myristoleic, C14:1 Measures myristoleic acid, a minor monounsaturated fatty acid, as part of a serum fatty acid profile looking at diet and fat metabolism.
- Nervonic, C24:1W9 Measures nervonic acid, a long-chain omega-9 fatty acid that is an important building block of nerve tissue, in serum.
- Octanoic, C8:0 Measures octanoic (caprylic) acid, a medium-chain saturated fatty acid, in serum to help look at fat intake and medium-chain fat metabolism.
- Oleic, C18:1W9 Measures oleic acid, the main monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in olive oil and many other fats, in serum.
- Palmitic, C16:0 Measures palmitic acid, the most common saturated fatty acid in the body and diet, as part of a serum fatty acid profile.
- Palmitoleic, C16:1W7 Measures palmitoleic acid, an omega-7 monounsaturated fatty acid made mainly in the body, as part of a serum fatty acid profile.
- Phytanic Acid Measures phytanic acid, a branched-chain fatty acid from the diet, used to look for rare disorders in which the body cannot break it down.
- Polyunsaturated, Total The combined level of polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3 and omega-6 fats, in your blood, calculated from the individual fatty acids measured.
- Pristanic Acid Measures pristanic acid, a branched-chain fatty acid made from dietary phytanic acid, used to look for rare disorders of fat breakdown.
- Saturated, Total The combined level of saturated fatty acids in your blood, calculated from the individual saturated fatty acids measured on the panel.
- Stearic, C18:0 Measures stearic acid, an 18-carbon saturated fatty acid in your blood, as part of a fatty acid profile looking at diet and fat metabolism.
- Tetracosanoic, C24:0 Measures tetracosanoic (lignoceric) acid, a very long-chain saturated fatty acid, as part of a fatty acid profile used to look at fat metabolism.
- Tetradecadienoic, C14:2 Measures tetradecadienoic acid, a 14-carbon fatty acid with two double bonds, as part of a profile used to look at fatty acid metabolism.
- Total W3 The sum of the omega-3 fatty acids measured in your blood, such as EPA and DHA, used to look at your overall omega-3 status.
- Total W6 The sum of the omega-6 fatty acids measured in your blood, such as linoleic and arachidonic acid, used to look at your omega-6 status.
- Vaccenic, C18:1W7 Measures vaccenic acid, an omega-7 monounsaturated fatty acid found in dairy and ruminant fats, as part of a fatty acid profile.
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