Does Fish Oil Lower Cholesterol? Does it Matter?
Common question misses the cardiovascular point: Omega-3s raise good and bad types alike, so their heart benefits stem from different effects by Craig Weatherby The short answer is, “yes”, but we need to qualify that statement. The omega-3s in fish oil do not work like statins, which selectively lower only one kind of “bad” cholesterol, called LDL. And the characterization “bad” cholesterol is a gross oversimplification of the ways in which cholesterol impacts cardiovascular risks. Its believed that the omega-3s in fish fat reduce the risk of strokes, sudden cardiac death, and second heart attacks by doing four things: 1) Lower blood triglyceride (fat) levels. 2) Raise levels of good (HDL) cholesterol. 3) Lower levels of all non-HDL cholesterol 4) Reduce risk of arrhythmias (conditionally, and not consistently) We should note that fish oil can raise levels of LDL cholesterol slightly in people with high blood levels of triglycerides. However, that otherwise slightly negative impact is
