Can You Lower Triglycerides By Taking Fish Oil Supplements?
It is now firmly established that there is a wide range of heart health benefits to increasing the amount of omega 3 essential fats (DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid)) in your diet. One of these important heart benefits, for anyone with high triglycerides, is that increasing your intake of DHA and EPA can help lower triglycerides.
Research has established that almost all of us have levels of Omega3 fats that are too low. Omega 3 fats are found in fish oil and the research also shows that by increasing our intake of fish oil in our diet by way of supplementation we also attract a range of heart and other health benefits.
Some of the most important benefits from fish oil supplementation include a reduction in blood pressure, a reduction in the growth of plaque in the arteries and a reduction in the risk of fatal heart attack. And this now includes lowering triglycerides.
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.
A diet high in fats and in particular in saturated fat can contribute to high triglyceride levels as can high sugar foods. Being overweight and drinking too much alcohol can also contribute.
So lowering triglycerides is very important for many people who want to know how to lower triglycerides.
There are a range of things that you can do to lower triglycerides if you have a problem, including reducing the amount of fatty foods and in particular foods was saturated fats, eating less sugar and exercising more. Also important is reducing alcohol intake and try to lose weight if you are overweight.
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.
“A dose-response relationship exists between omega-3 fatty acid intake and triglyceride lowering” is just one of the statements on the website of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Another one is that “omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil decreased serum triglyceride concentrations by 25% to 30%,”. These show a clear link between adequate levels of Omega3 intake and triglyceride lowering.
The role of an increase in intake of omega3 essential fatty acids is sufficiently established so that the American Heart Association specifically recommends that patients who need to lower triglycerides take 2 to 4 grams of DHA and EPA every day, as fish oil supplements, under a physicians care.
Many people have a problem with lowering triglycerides and this is good news for them and gives them a way to lower triglycerides naturally.
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 you can eat more fish but fish is generally contaminated with mercury and can be extremely expensive. The best fish oil supplements are not contaminated and are much more cost-effective to be taken daily, though not all fish oil supplements are as good as others.
If you’re interested to find out how to compare fish oil supplements to find the best available (which I take myself) visit my website.
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