Is there a Link between Fish Oil and LDL Cholesterol?

Although it is not necessary to understand all the specifics of the relationship between fish oil and LDL cholesterol on your health, some basic knowledge should be helpful to convince you to get regular amounts of fish oil. First we must recognize that cholesterol is usually broken down into two major categories. HDL cholesterol is generally good because it is known to be able to move easily to the liver to be processed out of the body. On the other hand, LDL cholesterol is much less dense than HDL cholesterol and will adhear to the walls of the blood vessels narrowing them with plaque. Since today on average some seventy-five to eighty percent of the cholesterol in the human body is LDL cholesterol which contributes to plaque formation which can contribute significantly to the development of heart disease as well as atherosclerosis anything which can do to reduce those percentages should be advantages to ones health.

Synthetic Drugs or Fish Oil?

A primary factor to reduce the risk of heart disease is keeping the LDL cholesterol levels low. It would be wise to begin looking for a way to lower the LDL cholesterol when it exceeds 100 mg/dl. Today this can be accomplished with man made drugs developed for this precise purpose but often along with these drugs come the potential of side effects which may not be much better than not taking the drugs at all. Whether these drugs are for you or not should only come with serious consultation with your doctor.

Nonetheless these synthetic drugs have some alternatives. LDL cholesterol, both history and testing have shown, can be facilitated in behaving like HDL to move excess cholesterol back to the liver for processing when it interacts with fish oil. Fish oil is high in Omega 3 fatty acids. The ability of LDL cholesterol developing plaque in the blood stream is reduced by these three fatty acids, DHA, EPA and ALA, capability to bond with it. The overall effect is that the combination of LDL cholesterol and fish oil is that it creates similar results as the synthetic drugs but without the potentially negative side effects.

Best Source of Fish Oil

The book seems to still be open on what the best source is for the Omega 3 fatty acids. Many say that fish high in Omega 3 such as tuna, salmon or mackerel at least three to four times per week. Many say that a good way to go is a good capsule distributed by a reputable manufacturer. The debate will more than likely go on for sometime but it will not be about fish oil and LDL cholesterol but rather about how to take the fish oil.