Post by Zadkiel on Apr 27, 2016 11:03:45 GMT
If you take omega 3 supplements to help lower your LDL cholesterol, you’re wasting your money.
"What most people don't know about fish oil, krill oil and omega-3s may be preventing them from getting any health benefit from these supplements … and could be hurting their wallets," says Fred Sancilio, PhD, chairman, president and CEO of Sancilio & Company. A health researcher with more than 40 years of experience in this field, Dr. Sancilio is determined to dispel some of the most stubborn misconceptions about fish oils and omega-3 supplements.
Myth: Omega-3 supplements help to lower cholesterol.
"Not true," says Dr. Sancilio. "Too many people say their doctors recommended that they start taking fish oil because their lipid profile was high. They mistakenly think this supplement will help their HDL and LDL cholesterol. But the omega-3s found in fish, in particular the EPA and DHA fatty acids, work on a different blood lipid called triglycerides. Triglycerides are basically blood fat. Imagine having blood the consistency of chocolate pudding. High triglyceride levels make your blood extremely thick and hard for your heart to pump. When your heart works that hard, it needs more blood to supply more oxygen. When it doesn't get that, you may have a heart attack. Our bodies are very efficient at removing fish fat from our blood. Not so much fats from other animals. So Omega-3s replace one type of blood fat with another, effectively lowering your triglycerides level."
He explains the relationship of triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol: "Cholesterol builds up around triglycerides. If you were to cut open a diseased artery, you'd see something that looks like a pimple. The triglycerides would be the pus, and the LDL cholesterol would be built up around it. A triglyceride level above 300 mg/dL puts you at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Anything above 500 increases your risk by three or four times."
"What most people don't know about fish oil, krill oil and omega-3s may be preventing them from getting any health benefit from these supplements … and could be hurting their wallets," says Fred Sancilio, PhD, chairman, president and CEO of Sancilio & Company. A health researcher with more than 40 years of experience in this field, Dr. Sancilio is determined to dispel some of the most stubborn misconceptions about fish oils and omega-3 supplements.
Myth: Omega-3 supplements help to lower cholesterol.
"Not true," says Dr. Sancilio. "Too many people say their doctors recommended that they start taking fish oil because their lipid profile was high. They mistakenly think this supplement will help their HDL and LDL cholesterol. But the omega-3s found in fish, in particular the EPA and DHA fatty acids, work on a different blood lipid called triglycerides. Triglycerides are basically blood fat. Imagine having blood the consistency of chocolate pudding. High triglyceride levels make your blood extremely thick and hard for your heart to pump. When your heart works that hard, it needs more blood to supply more oxygen. When it doesn't get that, you may have a heart attack. Our bodies are very efficient at removing fish fat from our blood. Not so much fats from other animals. So Omega-3s replace one type of blood fat with another, effectively lowering your triglycerides level."
He explains the relationship of triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol: "Cholesterol builds up around triglycerides. If you were to cut open a diseased artery, you'd see something that looks like a pimple. The triglycerides would be the pus, and the LDL cholesterol would be built up around it. A triglyceride level above 300 mg/dL puts you at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Anything above 500 increases your risk by three or four times."
