Linoleic acid optimal range and reference range
Compiled by Alina Radu, founder of Sera, from the published sources below · Last reviewed November 9, 2026
Sera's bands for Linoleic acid:
- Optimal 10 – 20 %; sufficient 8 – 25 %; out of range below 8 or above 25 %.
Evidence grade: Published reference interval. A band that primarily reflects a published adult laboratory or population reference interval. It is not necessarily applicable to every assay or laboratory.
All units
| Unit | Optimal | Sufficient | Out of range |
|---|---|---|---|
| % | 10 – 20 | 8 – 25 | below 8 or above 25 |
What the evidence says
Bands reflect population averages, not a published reference interval: red cell linoleic acid averages 11 to 13% in North American, European and East Asian cohorts. The outcome evidence points one way: pooled analyses of prospective cohorts associate higher linoleic acid with lower cardiovascular risk and lower mortality, and none shows harm from a high level. The functional reading treats a high level as a marker of processed food intake; that reading has no outcome data behind it. None of the band edges has a published threshold. Read it as a dietary-pattern marker, not a verdict.
Assay: Results differ meaningfully between platforms and methods. Compare against the interval printed by the issuing laboratory before acting on a borderline value.
Sources
- Red Blood Cell Fatty Acid Patterns from 7 countries: Focus on the Omega-3 Index — Schuchardt JP, Cerrato M, Ceseri M, et al. — Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 2022 · Peer-reviewed publicationMean red cell linoleic acid measured by one method in 17 cohorts: 11 to 13% across countries (11.1 to 13.8%), with 17.5% in the Alaskan cohort. All inside Sera's optimal band of 10 to 20%; typical level only, no interval.
- Biomarkers of Dietary Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Incident Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality — Marklund M, Wu JHY, Imamura F, et al. (CHARGE Fatty Acids and Outcomes Research Consortium) — Circulation, 2019 · Peer-reviewed publicationPooled analysis of 30 cohorts, 68,659 people: higher linoleic acid was associated with lower risk of total cardiovascular disease (hazard ratio 0.93), cardiovascular death (0.78) and ischaemic stroke (0.88) across the interquintile range. Mixed blood fractions; no threshold. No outcome basis for flagging a high result.
- Dietary intake and biomarkers of linoleic acid and mortality: systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies — Li J, Guasch-Ferré M, Li Y, Hu FB — The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2020 · Peer-reviewed publicationMeta-analysis of 44 prospective cohorts: each standard deviation higher linoleic acid in blood or adipose tissue was associated with 9% lower total mortality, 11% lower cardiovascular mortality and 9% lower cancer mortality. Direction only; no threshold.
What LA (C18:2 n-6, RBC) measures
Linoleic acid. The principal dietary omega-6, abundant in seed oils, and usually the largest polyunsaturated fraction in the membrane.
Essential, and the evidence on higher intakes is genuinely mixed rather than settled against them — large cohorts associate higher linoleic acid with lower cardiovascular risk, while the functional reading treats a high level as a marker of processed food intake. Interpret it as dietary information rather than as a verdict.