Omega-3 fatty acids provide essential nutrients for your body's health. You can only get omega-3s through food. Omega-3 fatty acids may prevent heart disease, mainly because they help boost healthy HDL cholesterol levels. HDL gets rid of harmful LDL cholesterol, which accumulates on the inner walls of the arteries. The buildup narrows the arteries and causes heart disease. HDL collects excess cholesterol in the arteries and takes it to the liver for disposal.
Sources
You can get omega-3 fatty acids from fish, some plants and nut oils. Salmon, tuna, mackerel, sardines, lake trout, halibut and herring contain omega-3s. Other sources include walnuts and walnut oil, canola oil, flaxseed and flaxseed oil, soybeans and soybean oil, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin seed oil.
Benefits
All foods with omega-3s are equally beneficial, according to the Harvard School of Public Health, which recommends getting at least one source of omega-3 fatty acids in your diet every day. Examples include 1 tbsp. of canola oil in salad dressing, a serving of omega-3-rich fish or a handful of walnuts or ground flaxseed over oatmeal or whole-grain cereal.
Higher HDLs
People who follow a Mediterranean diet, which includes high amounts of fish, have higher HDL levels than average, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC). Inuit Eskimos, who live in the Canadian Arctic and Greenland, have diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids and have increased HDL cholesterol along with decreased triglycerides, fats in the blood that also contribute to heart disease. Walnuts may lower total cholesterol in people with high cholesterol, according to UMMC.
Potential
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke by preventing cholesterol buildup that forms plaque and clots in the arteries which lead to the brain, reports UMMC. HDL cholesterol plays a similar role by removing excess cholesterol from the blood to help prevent plaque buildup. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week, which may reduce the risk of stroke by 50 percent, according to UMMC.
Supplements
Fish oil supplements are often made from fish with omega-3 fatty acids, including mackerel, herring, tuna, halibut and salmon. Supplements may work as effectively as foods. The FDA approved a fish oil supplement, ethyl esters, to lower triglycerides. Fish oil supplements may help reduce high blood pressure and high cholesterol, risk factors for heart disease.
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