Fish Oil Lowers Triglycerides Naturally

In this page we’ll cover what triglycerides are and their importance for cardiovascular health, their normal and optimal ranges, how to reduce triglycerides, the importance of keeping your triglycerides to HDL cholesterol ratio smaller than 1, and how fish oil and triglycerides are related to proper eicosanoidal balance.

You will learn why keeping a diet low in sugars and grains is important. You will also learn about relevant studies on fish oil and triglycerides, and about omega 3 consumption suggestions from the American Heart Association (AHA). Finally, I will tell you my secrets to guarantee low, optimal triglycerides for life.

Let´s begin with the basics:

Fish Oil And Triglycerides - What Are Triglycerides.

Triglycerides are one of the fats(lipid) in the body. Cholesterol is another important lipid related to triglycerides and heart health. Most body fat is stored as triglycerides. They are also present in plasma in the blood. Triglycerides are usually measured by testing the plasma.

The amount of triglycerides in blood depends on the quantities of fats and carbohydrates ingested with your food. They are also produced in the liver. A high level of triglycerides is called hypertriglyceridemia.

Some doctors still advise you to follow the old practice of replacing carbohydrates for fats, (i.e. a low fat diet) to diminish triglycerides. Actually, the opposite is true, carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates, elevate triglycerides, as we will see later.

Why Are Triglycerides Important?.

For years high total cholesterol (greater than 200 mg/dl), with LDL cholesterol greater than 130 mg/dl and with low HDL Cholesterol (smaller than 40 mg/dl), were seen as the beginning of the development of coronary and cardiovascular disease. A direct link between heart disease and triglycerides levels had not clearly been established.

Recently, it was clarified that high triglycerides levels are themselves an important and independent factor for coronary arteries occlusion. Much more so if they are combined with high LDL and low HDL cholesterols.

A triglyceride to HDL (TG/HDL) ratio near or smaller than 1 is especially important.

Fish Oil And Triglycerides - Normal Triglycerides Ranges.

• Normal, lower than 150 mg/dl.
• High normal, between 150-200 mg/dl.
• High, between 200-500 mg/dl.
• Very high, greater than 500 mg/dl.

Although these are normal ranges, many doctors give special emphasis to have triglycerides below 100 mg/dl (optimal), since higher levels are related not only to coronary disease but to many other problems: obesity, diabetes, cancer, arthritis, high blood pressure, general inflammation, etc. As said before, high levels of triglycerides not only indicate the possibility of coronary or cardiovascular disease, but it is also associated with diabetes, metabolic syndrome x, hypertension and other disorders related to the proliferation of “bad” eicosanoides .

This is why it is advisable to monitor your triglycerides level, and indirectly cardiovascular disease, and to keep your TG to HDL ratio below 1.

Fish oil to Reduce Triglycerides.

How are fish oil and triglycerides related? It’s simple. Fish oil omega 3 produces “good” eicosanoids in each one of our body cells, opposing and balancing the actions of “bad” eicosanoids.

Through this balance, fish oil diminishes general and cardiovascular inflammation, in particular. It increases blood’s fluidity and improves your mood while diminishing cell proliferation (important in cancer) and decreasing irritation. Go to What is Omega 3 .

The body responds to a high intake of omega 6 by increasing the production of triglycerides. What foods contain omega 6? Basically all foods with carbohydrates have omega 6. That is to say, sugars, grains and all their oils as well as vegetables and fruits. Because we need vegetables for their vitamins, oligo-elements (trace minerals) and their low carbohydrate content, we should keep eating them. The same goes for some fruits, although there are some with high carbohydrate and sugar content, which would be desirable to eat in small amounts.

We must maintain an omega 6/omega 3 ratio near 1. It is the ideal for optimal body cell operation, free of degenerative diseases. That is important to remember.

Photo courtesy of Destranger

Staying away from grains and sugars to lower triglycerides has better consequences than the use of toxic medicines that do not correct the cause of the disorder but only cover the symptoms. You choose.

Studies about Fish Oil And Triglycerides

For years, fish oil and triglycerides have been studied. As early as 1985 the New England Journal of Medicine reported that fish oil produced a substantial decline in triglycerides in normal and hypertriglyceridemic individuals.

The American Heart Association (AHA) also recognizes the importance of fish oil in lowering triglycerides. It also recommends omega 3 because of its fast and powerful ability to control triglyceride levels.

There has been many studies that prove that omega 3 produces a fast reduction of triglycerides. Nevertheless, some doctors give more credit to lowering cholesterol to control cardiovascular disease.

There was a recent study in 2006 with patients who had HIV and high triglycerides levels who did not react to Fenofibrate (triglycerides reducing agent). When fish oil omega 3 was added to their treatment, they received better results.

Use These Suggestions to Reduce Triglycerides.

The American Heart Association (AHA) suggests the use of 2-4 grams of EPA + DHA ( components of omega 3) for triglyceride control. That´s equivalent to 6-12 grams of fish oil in capsules, since each gram of fish oil contains approximately 30% of EPA+ DHA.

As our Omega 3 dosage page suggests, triglycerides respond to different amounts of omega 3, you should take a blood test a few weeks after starting this low grain, low sugar, high omega 3 diet. Remember results depend on how well you eliminate sugars and grains. That is important. See The Benefits of Fish oil .

The Secret To Maintain Low Triglycerides Levels.

Low fat diets are not effective in lowering triglycerides. When you do that, you compensate fat consumption with increased carbohydrates in your diet, because almost everybody maintains a constant protein consumption.

The net effect is the opposite, triglycerides increase with low fats diets.

Additional Secrets to Put High Triglycerides to Rest.

• Take your 6-12 grams of fish oil or Krill oil every day.
• Eliminate sugars and grains from your diet.
• Exercise daily, hopefully 30 minutes. Short but intense. See my page on Fish oil and exercise No triglyceride is strong enough to resist 30 minutes of exercise at a medium-to-high intensity. Not just easy walking.
• Lose weight. If you change your diet and exercise routine you will lower your weight easily.

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