People who have a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, known as familial hypercholesterolemia, may especially benefit from taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements, as a new study by scientists at the University of Georgia has found that participants who reported taking fish oil supplements had lower blood lipid levels than expected, especially for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.
Using genetic data from 441,985 people included in the UK Biobank, the researchers calculated a score to predict the genetic likelihood of having high levels of total cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol (often called “bad” cholesterol), triglycerides and HDL cholesterol (or “good” cholesterol).
“Recent advances in genetic studies have allowed us to predict a person’s genetic risk for high cholesterol,” said Yitang Sun, a recent doctoral graduate from UGA’s Department of Genetics. “But the current prediction has room for improvement because it does not account for individual differences in lifestyle, such as intake of fish oil supplements.”
A dietary intervention that improves cholesterol levels
“Our study shows that considering lifestyles will improve genetic prediction,” said Kaixiong Ye, corresponding author of the study and assistant professor of genetics in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “Our findings also support that fish oil supplements may counteract the genetic predisposition to high cholesterol.” The results of the work have been published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
It’s no secret that high cholesterol is bad for your body. Your arteries begin to harden and your chances of having a heart attack or stroke increase. While a healthy diet and exercise can help prevent it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 86 million American adults (or about 1 in 4) have high cholesterol, while in Spain high cholesterol is one of the main cardiovascular risk factors.
“Fish oil consumption is associated with a shift towards a healthy lipid profile”
High cholesterol and triglyceride levels have a variety of causes, including one that is beyond our control: genetics. So for people with a family history of high cholesterol, the study’s findings offer another avenue to help safeguard their health.
“Fish oil consumption is associated with a shift toward a healthy lipid profile,” Ye said. In addition, the researchers also looked at the effects of fish oil on HDL cholesterol and found that the supplements are beneficial in increasing so-called “good” cholesterol.
