If you have a high triglyceride level, your chances of having a heart attack or stroke are increased. Weight loss, exercise and dietary changes, such as limiting fats and sweets, are primary treatments for high triglycerides, also known as hypertriglyceridemia. If your level does not respond to lifestyle changes, you may have to take medications. Omega-3 fatty acids, such as those found in fish oils and flaxseed oil, could also be useful for correcting abnormal lipid levels.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The omega-3 fatty acids that are important to human health are alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, which comes from flax, pumpkin, chia and hemp seeds, and EPA and DHA, which are found in fish oil, krill and some marine algae. ALA, DHA and EPA have been credited with a variety of health benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects and protection from cardiovascular disease. However, it is not entirely clear if ALA is as useful as DHA and EPA for preventing heart disease.
Fish Oil
Scientific studies have repeatedly demonstrated the beneficial effects of fish oil on blood lipids. It is believed that EPA and DHA lower your triglycerides by decreasing the delivery of triglyceride precursors to the liver and by inhibiting the liver enzymes that are responsible for producing triglycerides. Daily doses of 3g to 4g of EPA plus DHA can decrease your triglyceride level by as much as 25 to 35 percent. The evidence supporting ALA's ability to lower triglycerides is less compelling.
Flaxseed
Flaxseed is one of the richest sources of ALA, which was once thought to be readily converted to EPA and DHA in humans. However, research has demonstrated that this conversion is inefficient at best, with only 5 percent of ALA being converted to EPA, and less than 0.1 percent being converted to DHA. A May 1997 review in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" reported that ALA did not lower triglycerides unless it was taken in unreasonably high doses. Another study published in "The Journal of Nutrition" in May 2009 demonstrated that ALA lowered serum triglycerides, but the subjects in this study already had normal triglyceride levels.
Considerations
Omega-3 fatty acids may exert differential effects on lipid metabolism in humans. Specifically, ALA may not be particularly effective for dealing with elevated triglyceride levels unless it is taken in large doses -- nearly 40g daily in one study. On the other hand, EPA and DHA effectively lower serum triglycerides at much lower doses. Flaxseed is a rich source of ALA -- greater than 50 percent by weight -- and flaxseed oil offers even higher concentrations of this important omega-3 fatty acid. However, EPA and DHA appear to confer better and more consistent results in addressing high triglyceride levels.
References
- "The Journal of the American Medical Association"; Nonfasting Triglyceride and Risk of Myocardial Infarction, Ischemic Heart Disease, and Death in Men and Women; B.G. Nordestgaard, et al.; July 2007
- "Frontiers in Neurology"; Triglycerides and Stroke Risk Prediction: Lessons from a Prospective Cohort Study in German Primary Care Patients; M. Ebinger, et al.; November 2010
- "Cardiovascular Research"; Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation for the Treatment of Heart Failure: Mechanisms and Clinical Potential; M.K. Duda, et al.; October 2009
- "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition"; n-3 Fatty Acids and Serum Lipoproteins: Human Studies; W.S. Harris; May 1997
- "The Journal of Nutrition"; Dietary α-Linolenic Acid, EPA, and DHA Have Differential Effects on LDL Fatty Acid Composition but Similar Effects on Serum Lipid Profiles in Normolipidemic Humans; S. Egert, et al.; May 2009
