My Healthy Habits

This article is not intended as medical advice. You should always consult a doctor or other qualified healthcare professional before beginning any diet regimen.

You are probably reading this article because you’ve heard that Omega-3 fatty acids can help with high cholesterol. Adding Omega-3s to your diet can help with cholesterol, especially by raising “good’ cholesterol. Omega-3 supplements have been linked to a number of health benefits including lowering bad cholesterol and raising good cholesterol, and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regards Omega-3 as generally safe with side effects that are usually minor. Still, there are some things you need to know before taking Omega-3 for cholesterol (or any condition). You should also be sure to consult with your doctor before adding Omega-3 supplements for any reason.

Let’s discuss some of the different types of fact and the differences between Omega-3 and Omega-6 to better understand how Omega-3s work to help with “good” cholesterol.

Fat, Explained

All nutrition comes in the form of carbohydrates, proteins and fat. Fat is where the body gets most of its energy and how it stores reserves of energy. Fat comes in these three basic types:

• Triglycerides: Your body stores most of its reserve energy as this type of fat.

• Cholesterol: Cholesterol is a component of cell membranes and myelin (the “insulation” surrounding nerve cells). It is also an important part of bile acid (which helps digestion) and some hormones, such as sex and adrenal hormones. There are two basic types of cholesterol, which I’ll refer to simply as “good” and “bad”.

• Phospholipids: This type of fat is also found in cell membranes and myelin.

Fatty acids are chemically linked carbon atoms. These carbon atoms can be linked with a single or a double bond. This is where muscles and organs get their energy from, what cell membranes are built from, and how the body stores energy reserves.These fats are converted into triglycerides for storage, usually around the abdomen. The three basic types of fatty acids are:

• Lard, butter, cream, eggs, red meat, etc. contain saturated fatty acids that feature single bonds between carbon atoms. Too much saturated fat raises both cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

• Monounsaturated fatty acids have one double bond between carbon atoms. They come from avocados, nuts and oils such as peanut and canola. There is some evidence that increasing consumption of monounsaturated fats can lower “bad” cholesterol and thus the risk of heart disease (especially when accompanied by eating less saturated fat and processed sugar).

• Foods such as vegetable oils contain polyunsaturated fats, which have more than one double bond between carbon atoms. The polyunsaturated fats known as ”essential” fatty acids are required for proper nutrition but must come from food since the body cannot produce them on their own.

Using hydrogen to solidify liquid fat creates trans fatty acids, or “trans fats”. Heating Omega-6 oils (see below) creates trans fat. Trans fats make oil last longer and are found in a wide variety of processed foods; they increase bad cholesterol and increase the risk of heart disease.

Omega-3 and Omega-6

Omega-3 and Omega-6 are two types of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. The difference between them is that Omega-3 fats have the double bond in the third carbon position from the “methyl terminal” while Omega-6 fats have the double bond in the sixth carbon position. Omega-3 fats occur in fish, nuts and some vegetables. Different types of vegetable oils and other foods contain Omega-6. Grain-fed beef (including corn-fed beef) is high in Omega-6 while grass-fed beef is high in Omega-3. This large amount of grain-fed red meat in the average American diet is one of the largest single contributors to high cholesterol and heart disease. There is even some speculation that the heavy presence of corn and corn-based products throughout the American diet may be contributing to the large amounts of Omega-6 in the typical diet.

Omega-3 Imbalances

A “Mediterranean diet” that includes natural, grass-fed beef and plenty of vegetables tends to provide more good cholesterol and lower triglycerides, as does the “Eskimo diet” that is rich in fish. Both diets are high in Omega-3. The recommended ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3 is between 2:1 and 4:1, or eating two to four times as more Omega-6 than Omega-3.The Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio in the average American diet ranges from 11:1 to as much as 30:1.

Different Types of Omega-3 Fatty Acids

If you’re not eating enough Omega-3 then you can simply add more to your diet, right? Not so fast. There are three types of Omega-3:

• Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): Comes from a variety of sources, especially fish.

• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA): Comes from a variety of sources, especially fish.

• ALA (Alpha-linolenic acid): Found in beans, nuts, seeds, oils, and green leafy vegetables.

Omega-3 and Cholesterol

Human trials provide strong evidence that DHA and EPA from fish or fish oil greatly reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood. Higher doses yield greater effects. Good cholesterol also seems to increase.
DHA and EPA-rich Omega-3 supplements can:

• Depending on initial levels and does of Omega-3, reduce triglycerides by 10-45 percent.

• Increase “good’ cholesterol by 0-7 percent.

• Potentially increase “bad” cholesterol by 0-30 percent. This may be a greater factor with ALA than with DHA and EPA.

Side Effects of Omega-3

Omega-3s may occasionally have some mild side effects, however the US FDA generally regards Omega-3s as safe. Consult your doctor before taking any supplements.

Anthony Hernandez

Anthony Hernandez is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Business Association Coach and author of Guerrilla Marketing Success Secrets with over 20 years of successful self-employment experience. He is proud to be a co-founding member of the MOXXOR WORKS Team. Visit the MOXXOR WORKS Team Web site to learn more about the MOXXOR WORKS Team and our home-based opportunity.

Sources

• American Family Physician

• American Heart Association

• Medicine Net

• National Institutes of Health

• University of Maryland

• Web MD