Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of fat which is found in fatty fish, flaxseed oil and some supplements. These compounds can affect your lipid levels and can reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular problems and heart disease. These fats affect different kinds of lipids in different ways but are recommended if you have high cholesterol levels.
Omega-3 Fatty Acid Identification
Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of essential fatty acid, which means they cannot be synthesized from the body and must be consumed in the diet. The two most potent omega-3 fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid, are found in fatty fish and fish oil, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Another type of omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linoleic acid, is found in flaxseed oil. Although alpha-linoleic acid is less active in the body, it can be converted into docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid.
Lipid Types
In order to understand how omegas-3 fatty acids affect cholesterol, it is important to understand the kinds of fats found in the blood. Cholesterol in the blood can be found in lipoproteins, which are needed to transport fats in the blood. Low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of heart disease, because they can lead to cholesterol being deposited in the walls of the arteries, also known as atherosclerosis, the American Heart Association notes. High-density lipoprotein or HDL cholesterol reduces your risk of atherosclerosis. Another lipid, triglycerides, are also able to increase your risk of heart disease.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Heart Disease
Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke in several ways. First of all, these beneficial fats lower your blood pressure, which puts less strain on your heart and slows atherosclerosis. Omega-3 fatty acids can also lower your triglyceride levels, further lowering your risk of a heart attack, and cause a small increase in HDL cholesterol levels. Paradoxically, these fats can also increase your LDL cholesterol measurements, the Mayo Clinic states.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Apparent LDL Levels
Although your LDL cholesterol measurements may go up after taking omega-3 fatty acids, this may not represent a true rise in the amount of LDL cholesterol in your blood. As HealthCentral explains, your LDL cholesterol levels are calculated by looking at your total cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels; treatments which reduce triglyceride levels can throw off this measurement, making LDL levels seem falsely high. In addition, the decrease in triglycerides can cause more LDL cholesterol to be formed, but this increase in LDL cholesterol is offset by the reduction in triglycerides, meaning that the net effect of omega-3 fatty acids is to improve your lipid profile and lower your risk of heart disease.
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