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LDL Cholesterol and Fish Oil

23 June 2009 No Comment

Although it is not critical to understand all the details of the relationship between fish oil and LDL cholesterol on your health, a little basic knowledge should be helpful to encourage you to get regular amounts of fish oil. Initially we need to recognize that cholesterol is typically broken down into two major categories. Because it can move easily to the liver and processed out of the body HDL cholesterol is generally considered good. On the other hand, LDL cholestrol is much less dense than HDL cholesterol and will adhear to the walls of the blood vessels narrowing them with plaque. On average some seventy-five to eighty percent of the total cholesterol in the human body today is LDL cholesterol which contributes to plaque formation and further significantly adds to the likely hood of heart disease as well as.

Man Made Drugs or Natural Fish Oil?

A major concern in the reduction of heart disease risk is reducing LDL cholesterol levels. As a rule of thumb if your LDL cholesterol level is above 100 mg/dl it is time to start looking for a way to reduce that level. Of course, other than the potential side effects that may be worse than taking no medicine at all, this can be accomplished with synthetic drugs made for this specific purpose. Of course determining whether these drugs are appropriate for you should happen only with the advice of your doctor.

However, there are alternatives to these synthetic drugs. Testing and history have shown that LDL cholesterol interacts with fish oil in such a way that it is facilitated in acting like HDL to assist the moving of excess cholesterol back to the liver for processing. Omega 3 fatty acids are high in fish oil. The ability of these three fatty acids, ALA, EPA and DHA to bond with the LDL cholesterol diminishes the chances of it creating plaque in the blood vessels. The overall result without the exposure to the harmful side effects of the synthetic drugs can be achieved with the combination of fish oil and LDL cholesterol.

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 indicate that fish high in Omega 3 such as mackerel, tuna or salmon should be eaten at least three times a week. Others say that a quality capsule made by a responsible manufacturer is a good way to go. The debate will more than likely continue for sometime but it is not about fish oil and LDL cholesterol but rather about how to take the fish oil.

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