Can You Lower Triglycerides By Taking Fish Oil Supplements?
The benefits of omega 3 essential fatty acids, primarily DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), are well known, and in particular the heart benefits of omega 3 fats. However for people with high triglycerides there is another reason to increase the amount of omega 3 fats in a diet to lower triglycerides.
Research shows that over 90 percent of us are deficient in the important essential fatty acids found in fish oil. And research has also confirmed a wide range of heart benefits from remedying that deficiency by including more fish, or fish oil in the form of supplements, in our diet.
Some of the important heart health benefits from increasing omega 3 in the diet include reducing blood pressure, reducing the growth of plaque in the arteries, reducing the risk of fatal heart attack and now also helping to lower triglyceride levels.
Triglycerides are a fat that is found in your blood and which your body manufactures from the food that you eat. High triglycerides increases the risk of death and are basically linked to coronary artery disease. High triglycerides can also be linked to other diseases like diabetes.
By eating a diet with a high level of saturated fat and sugar you may be contributing to higher than normal triglyceride levels. And other risk factors are being overweight and excess alcohol consumption.
So for many people lowering triglycerides is very important.
There’s a range of things that you can do to help lower triglycerides. If you eat less sugar and saturated fat in your diet, lose weight and reduce your alcohol intake these will all help lower triglycerides.
But it is now clear from the research that increasing your intake of omega 3 essential fatty acids by way of fish oil supplementation is an important part of a strategy to help lower triglycerides.
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition publishes many of the studies about the benefits of omega 3 and a statement on the website says that “A dose-response relationship exists between omega-3 fatty acid intake and triglyceride lowering” and also that “omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil decreased serum triglyceride concentrations by 25% to 30%,”.
It is clear that increasing the intake of Omega3 fats has a role in lowering triglycerides and for this reason the American Heart Association recommends minimum levels of DHA and EPA of 2 to 4 grams per day by way of fish oil supplements under the care of a physician for people with high triglycerides.
This is excellent news for anyone struggling with high triglycerides.
And there is also powerful evidence of a wide range of other health benefits from increasing your intake of omega 3 essential fatty acids, and for these reasons everyone, including people with high triglycerides, should seek to maintain a minimum level of fish oil in the diet.
Of course it is simple to eat more fish but unfortunately fish is contaminated with mercury and is generally very expensive. There are excellent fish oil supplements available which are not contaminated and which can be taken daily very cost effectively. Note however that not all fish oil supplements are of high quality.
Visit my website to find out how to compare the various fish oil supplements available, (and which ones I take myself).
Want to know more about Fish Oil? Or more about Lowering Triglycerides with DHA supplementation? Visit Peter’s Website Healthy Omega 3 Fish Oil.
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