Fish Oil and Cholesterol – Is There a Positive or Negative Connection?

In today's ever-increasing health conscious culture, people are becoming more concerned about their cholesterol levels. This concern does not go unfounded. LDL, which is also known as bad cholesterol is considered the precursor to heart attacks and strokes. The good news is that many health professionals are recommending that their patients take fish oil and cholesterol lowering outcomes are occurring as a result. The DHA and EPA, omega-3 fatty acids found in cold-water fatty fish, decrease the levels of the tiny, dense particles of LDL, which are associated with cardiovascular disease.

In February of 2011 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that as many as two out of three Americans plagued with high levels of bad cholesterol have not been able to get this dilemma under control. The report stated that only about half of those adults are getting treatment, and not all those being treated are seeing a reduction in their LDL numbers. It continues to be a major concern for cardiac health.

Because of the many successful clinical studies performed in regard to fish oil and cholesterol proving to benefit heart health, The American Heart Association has set up their own recommendations for dosage. First of all, they advocate eating a variety of fatty fish at least twice a week for healthy people who don't have a history of heart disease.

They recommend patients who have experienced heart problems to take 1 gram of EPA+DHA daily either by eating fish or by taking a dietary supplement. Those with high triglycerides have been given 2 to 4 grams of EPA+DHA per day in capsule form under the care of their health provider with very positive results. So given the suggestions you can plainly see fish oil and cholesterol have a definite positive connection.

Some people have been given prescription medications by their doctor to try to lower their high cholesterol and have still experienced frustrating results. One medication that has been proven to work better when paired with fish oil is the prescription drug simvastatin. In a preliminary trial, people with elevated cholesterol levels who had been taking simvastatin for about three years were able to significantly lower their triglycerides and raise their levels of HDL (the good cholesterol) by supplementing either 900 mg or 1800 mg of EPA fish oil per day for three months in addition to the above mentioned prescription drug. The researchers of this study concluded that the combination of simvastatin and EPA fish oil may prevent coronary heart disease better than the drug alone.

Some other tips given by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to keep those numbers in check include getting at least thirty minutes of brisk exercise every day, eat foods high in soluble fiber like oats, apples, and beans, and eat less animal fat. Two precautionary measures they give are to stop smoking and restrict alcohol which have both proven to be hazardous to our health.

With the results from the studies shown above and ongoing research of fish oil and cholesterol we have cause for hope to see a future free from this cardiac health problem.

Elizabeth Ruby is passionate about good health and is a firm believer in taking quality nutritional supplements. She has extensively researched Omega 3 fatty acids for optimal health. Check out her web site at http://www.omega-3-health.com/ to find out how she keeps her mind and body young and active, functioning fully with the help of Omega 3 Fish Oil.