Using Fish Oil To Help High Cholesterol
If you have cholesterol problems, you may be wondering what you can do about it. Often, your cholesterol problems can be controlled through the foods that you eat (or avoid). Here is a look at how fish oil can help improve your cholesterol.
Basically, there are two types of cholesterol – the “bad” kind that causes heart disease and the associated problems, and the “good” kind that helps your heart. Research done on fish oil has suggested that taking fish oil as a supplement can help you improve the level of “good” cholesterol in your body and may even help you to lower the amount of bad cholesterol.
The other good news about fish oil is that it may help lower the amounts of triglyceride levels in your bloodstream, a common problem for people who have high cholesterol. Having high triglycerides is another sign that you are developing heart disease.
Studies on the effectiveness of fish oil in fighting high cholesterol problems is still going on, and continues to support the theory that using fish oils can help you to prevent heart disease and protect your health. Scientists are focusing on how omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish oil, and how they relate to cholesterol levels to try to understand why heart disease risks are lower in people who make it a habit of eating fatty fish.
To understand the relationship, it is helpful to understand the difference between “good” and “bad” cholesterol. “Bad” cholesterol is known as LDL cholesterol, and is termed “bad” because of its habit of building up on the walls of the arteries. This causes the arteries to narrow, restricting blood flow, and increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The “good” cholesterol is known as HDL cholesterol, and is generally considered “good” because it removes the cholesterol from the arteries around the heart and takes it back to the liver where it can be processed.
The theory behind why fish oils may be so beneficial to cholesterol is that they increase the amount of HDL cholesterol. This means that more cholesterol is being carried away from your heart, helping to prevent heart disease.
During the studies, the level of triglycerides is also looked at. Triglycerides are a type of fat, and people that have high levels of LDL cholesterol generally will also have a high level of triglycerides. People suffering from heart disease also have high levels of triglycerides. Fish oil is thought to reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood, reducing the risk of heart disease.
At the moment, scientists remain unable to explain exactly how fish oil works to improve heart health, though the medical community commonly accepts that fish oil can be beneficial. The Food and Drug Administration has even said that omega 3 fatty acids are beneficial for heart health, and fish oils are one of the best natural sources for omega 3s. And since fish oil does not have any known side effects, you can go ahead and take the supplements while you are waiting for science to figure out why.
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