Your training is dialed in.
Your omega-3 probably isn't.
Across nearly 300 NCAA athletes, the average omega-3 index came in at 4.3%, barely half the level researchers associate with the greatest benefit. You can't feel it. But the research links it to how you recover, how you handle inflammation, and how you adapt to training. So stop guessing. Test it.
Test → correct → re-test. Guided by Angela Mederos, Performance Partner at Zinzino.
Average across ~300 NCAA Division I athletes.
Your ancestors ran at 1:1.
You're probably running at 15:1.
Omega-6 and omega-3 compete for the same machinery in your body: one tends to fuel inflammation, the other resolves it. Humans evolved on a roughly 1:1 ratio. The modern diet, seed oils, grain-fed meat, almost no oily fish, pushes most people to 15:1 or higher.
That imbalance is invisible. You can train through it for years. But it's the background setting on recovery, inflammation, and how hard you can push before your body pushes back. The BalanceTest measures exactly this, your real ratio, from a drop of blood.
Western diets average a 15:1–16.7:1 omega-6:3 ratio; an optimal range sits between 1:1 and 4:1. Source: Simopoulos, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy (2002, 2006).
Balanced. Inflammation switches on and off as it should.
Lopsided. The "off switch" for inflammation is always under-supplied.
Almost no athlete is where they think they are.
The Omega-3 Index measures EPA + DHA in your red blood cells. Above 8% is the zone tied to the greatest benefit. When researchers tested NCAA Division I athletes, the results were stark.
Source: Anzalone et al., Journal of Athletic Training (2019); broader NCAA D-I dataset (2020). The 8% target follows the cardioprotective / neuroprotective threshold used in omega-3 index research.
The ISSN's 2025 position stand reports a recurring drop in TNF-α, a key inflammation marker, after at least four weeks of EPA + DHA supplementation.
Omega-3 has been shown to support endurance and cardiovascular function in aerobic work, and may improve strength alongside resistance training in a dose- and duration-dependent way.
Insufficiency is linked to impaired immune function, recovery, and sleep: the exact systems that decide whether hard training makes you better or just more tired.
Findings summarized from the International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Long-Chain Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (2025). Omega-3 supports normal heart and brain function; it is not a treatment for any condition. Individual results vary.
Where the evidence comes from.
Not a vibe. The omega-3 story for athletes sits on published, peer-reviewed research. Here's a sample, with links so you can read it yourself.
- 1 Study
The Omega-3 Index is emerging as a sport biomarker: levels above 8% track with better cardiovascular health, fewer injuries, and improved performance.
A 2024 review framed the Omega-3 Index as a performance biomarker for athletes. Maintaining an index above 8% was associated with lower cardiovascular risk, less injury-related inflammation, and better adaptation to training. Higher index values correlated with fewer running-related injuries, and the authors note athletes may need a higher index than the general population.
Medoro A, et al. · Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 2024
View on PMC - 2 Study
Across 400+ NCAA Division I football players, not one reached the omega-3 index linked to the greatest benefit.
In more than 400 NCAA Division I football athletes, the mean Omega-3 Index was 4.35%, about half the 8% target. 34% sat in the high-risk band below 4%, and not a single athlete reached 8%, clear evidence of widespread omega-3 insufficiency in collegiate athletes.
Anzalone A, et al. · Journal of Athletic Training, 2019
View on PubMed - 3 Study
The sports-nutrition field's official position: omega-3 supports recovery, lowers inflammation, and can aid endurance and strength.
The 2025 International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand reports that omega-3 supplementation can enhance endurance and cardiovascular function, may improve strength alongside resistance training, and consistently lowers inflammation markers such as TNF-α. Effects on soreness after hard eccentric exercise appeared at 1.8 to 3 g/day of EPA + DHA over 4 to 8 weeks.
International Society of Sports Nutrition · Journal of the ISSN, 2025
View on PMC - 4 Study
In NCAA football players, omega-3 blunted a season-long rise in a blood marker of head-impact injury.
Over a full season, repetitive sub-concussive head impacts raised serum neurofilament light (Nf-L), a marker of axonal injury. Athletes taking a daily omega-3 blend (2,000 mg DHA + 560 mg EPA + 320 mg DPA) showed attenuated increases in Nf-L versus controls, pointing to a neuro- and cardioprotective role in collision-sport athletes.
Oliver JM, et al. · Journal of the ISSN, 2021
View on PubMed
The gap is bigger than you think.
Most athletes assume they're "probably fine." The data says otherwise, the average sits at less than half the target, and the people who study this for a living aim even higher.
Sources: pooled athlete data, Journal of Exercise and Nutrition review (1,452 athletes); longevity targets per Peter Attia and Rhonda Patrick's publicly stated recommendations. Shown for education; not an endorsement of any product.
You can't out-train a deficiency.
The effort is real. The gap is invisible. The only way to close it is to measure it — then prove it changed.
Test. Correct. Re-test.
120 days.
You measure your training. Measure the inputs too. This is the closed loop — a real baseline, a correction, and proof it worked.
A dried blood-spot test, done at home. It measures 11 fatty acids, including your real omega-6:3 ratio and Omega-3 Index. No guessing, a hard number.
Daily BalanceOil+, a polyphenol-protected omega-3 blend designed to move your ratio toward the optimal range over the following months.
At 120 days, test again. You see the before and after in black and white: proof your ratio actually changed, not a hope that it did.
Everything for the full loop: first test, BalanceOil+, and your re-test. Come on the 120-day journey with Angela.
BalanceTest is not available in New York. If you're pregnant, nursing, or on medication, talk to your physician before starting any supplement.
The people who study this don't guess either.
Across sport science and longevity research, the message rhymes: omega-3 matters, and the only way to manage it is to measure it. Don't take our word for it. Read theirs.
An Omega-3 Index of 8 to 11 percent provides the greatest health benefits.
Don't guess your omega-3 status. Test the index, and aim for a real target, not just “not deficient.”
Omega-3 supplementation can enhance endurance and cardiovascular function in aerobic exercise, and lower inflammation markers after hard training.
Quotes are drawn from the linked public sources and paraphrased for length. They refer to omega-3 fatty acids and the Omega-3 Index generally, they are not endorsements of Zinzino or any specific product, and these individuals and organizations are not affiliated with this page.
From people who stopped guessing.
Verified reviews from athletes and active people who tested, corrected, and re-tested.
Test-based instead of guess-based. I was shocked at my first result, 26:1, and I'm sporty. After the second test I was at 3.3:1, then 2.3:1 six months later. My recovery during sleep is much better.
Zinzino is the ultimate game-changer for active people. The blood-spot test and the Balance oil completely changed the way I approach my training. More energy, easier to stay in shape, and I recover so much faster than I used to.
My workout results are noticeably better, I feel better, and I have much more power. My recovery time went from around 24 hours down to 12.
I feel so much better. More endurance, and far less tired.
Verified customer reviews from Zinzino's Trustpilot, lightly trimmed for length. These are individual experiences, not typical or guaranteed results; individual results vary.
Bring the test to your roster.
If you train athletes, you already think in measurable inputs. Omega-3 status is one more dial you can actually read, and help them move.
Give the athletes you coach a real fatty-acid number to work from, the same test, before and after, so nutrition stops being a guess.
You share the science and the test. No selling supplements to your athletes, no scope creep into medical advice, just better information.
If it fits, there's an affiliate path that can return income on what you'd recommend anyway. It's optional, transparent, and never required.
Angela Mederos
Performance Partner · Zinzino
A longevity and wellness coach and entrepreneur, Angela has spent years guiding people through the test-and-balance journey, hosting testing sessions, leading workshops, and coaching one-on-one. She's not here to sell you a bottle. She's here to help you read your number, move it, and stay on it.
- Walks you through your test results, 1:1
- Helps coaches & teams set up a shared protocol
- Honest about what omega-3 can and can't do
Two ways to start
No form, no funnel. Reach Angela directly. She replies personally, usually within a business day.
Straight answers.
What exactly is the BalanceTest?
A dried blood-spot test you do at home with a small finger prick. It measures 11 fatty acids in your blood, including your omega-6:3 ratio and Omega-3 Index, then sends back a lab report. It's a measurement, not a medication.
Do I really need this if I already eat fish or take fish oil?
Probably more than you'd expect. Eating fish and taking fish oil both help, but neither guarantees you've reached the target. Dose, absorption, oil quality, and your baseline all vary, and plenty of people who do everything right still test low. The test exists so you stop guessing and see your actual number.
EPA or DHA: which one matters for athletes?
Both. EPA leans toward the inflammation-and-recovery side, DHA toward brain and cell-membrane health, and they work together. Instead of chasing one, the Omega-3 Index measures your total EPA + DHA status, so you can see whether you're actually covered.
How much omega-3 do I need to move my number?
For most people, somewhere around 1 to 1.5 grams a day of EPA + DHA is enough to climb into the 8% zone over a few months, though it varies by body and baseline. That's exactly why you re-test: the right dose is the one your second result confirms.
Fish oil, krill, or algae: does the form matter?
Less than people think, as long as you get enough EPA + DHA and it's fresh. Forms differ a little in how efficiently they raise your level, but the index doesn't care where the omega-3 came from, only whether it's working. BalanceOil pairs fish oil with polyphenol-rich olive oil to help keep it stable.
How long until I see a change?
The journey is built around 120 days: test, take BalanceOil+ daily, then re-test. That window is long enough for your ratio to meaningfully change and show up on the second test.
Will it affect my training, recovery, or other supplements?
Omega-3s are essential fatty acids, not pharmaceuticals, and they stack fine with a normal supplement routine. One thing worth knowing: at very high doses omega-3 can have a mild blood-thinning effect, so if you're on blood-thinning medication or have surgery coming up, check with your physician first.
Is the test available everywhere?
Almost. BalanceTest is currently not available in New York. Everywhere else in the US, you're good to go.