The fish oil cholesterol relationship has been a hot topic among scientists and researchers dating back to the early 1970's. It was once believed that eating a diet high in fat would lead to heart disease.
After discovering that Eskimos in Greenland had significantly lower incidence of cardiovascular problems, even though they consumed high amounts of fat, scientists found the opposite. Not all fats are bad for you!
Eskimo diets were made up of a lot of seafood, particularly deep water fish such as halibut, mackerel, sardines, and salmon. The fats in these fish were found to contain Omega 3 fatty acids.
As research progressed Omega 3 fatty acids were proven to be an essential part of our diets. Since they are not produced in our bodies they have to be introduced through the foods we eat.
The fish oil cholesterol connection is important to understand. Cholesterol naturally occurs in our body and also comes in the foods we eat such as meat and dairy products. It's a fat like substance that is transported through our blood to cells so they can function properly.
You have two types of cholesterol in our body, LDL (low-density lipoproteins) and HDL (high-density lipoproteins).
LDL
LDL is carried through out our bodies to different organs and tissues. What happens is if our LDL levels get too high it becomes excessive and isn't eliminated from our blood stream.
Over time these particles go through a chemical change becoming denser and build up on the walls of our arteries. This "plaque" can lead to inflammation and narrowing of the vessel pathway eventually causing coronary artery disease. This is why LDL is often referred to as "bad cholesterol".
HDL
HDL acts like the "janitor" in our blood. Referred to as the "good cholesterol", it cleans up the blood vessel walls of excess cholesterol and transports it back to our liver for processing. The higher the HDL the less LDL you have in your system.
The link between fish oil and cholesterol was found to raise HDL and lower LDL. The health benefits have been so overwhelming that the American Heart Association supports Omega 3's for heart health. Adding a quality fish oil supplement to our diet is one of the best ways to achieve this.
Eating fish is good for you but if you eat too much it can cause more harm than good. Unfortunately, pollution in our waters can end up on our plate in the fish we eat. Depending on where the fish come from they can contain high levels of heavy metals such as mercury and PCB's. Plus fish can be expensive and taste bad if not prepared properly.
Fish oil supplements are a safe and convenient way to reap the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids without having to eat a lot of fish. Its also cost effective and taking the right one will give you additional health benefits other than heart health.
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