Fish oil can improve your heart health, but taking too much can escalate your risk for heart attacks and strokes. While fish oil can lower triglycerides and blood pressure and reduce plaque in your arteries, it can also push your low-density lipoprotein cholesterol -- your LDL, or "bad," cholesterol -- to unhealthy levels. Moderate the amount of fish oil in your diet to obtain its benefits without causing harm.
Healthy Triglyceride and LDL Cholesterol Levels
You want to keep two types of lipids in your bloodstream at low levels -- LDL cholesterol, a waxy substance, and triglycerides, a type of fat. Both tend to clog your arteries, making it harder for blood to move freely to your heart and other vital organs. Aim to keep your LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dl -- milligrams per deciliter of blood -- and lower than 70 mg/dl if other risk factors for heart disease apply to you. Strive to keep your triglycerides below 150 mg/dl and, ideally, below 100 mg/dl. LDL cholesterol levels above 160 mg/dl and triglyceride levels above 200 mg/dl put you at high risk for developing cardiovascular disease.
Recommended Amounts of Fish Oil
Including fish in your diet provides the best way for most people to get enough omega-3 fatty acids in their diets. The American Heart Association recommends you eat fish at least twice a week. Good choices include salmon, albacore tuna and herring. A serving of cooked fish measures 3 ½ oz. and a serving of flaked fish measures ¾ cup. Eating fish may not sufficiently lower very high levels of triglycerides. If you take fish oil supplements, do not exceed 3 g a day without doctor supervision. Taking high levels of fish oil can elevate your LDL cholesterol levels.
Fish Oil and LDL Cholesterol
If both your triglycerides and LDL levels currently measure high, ask your doctor about how to safely add fish oil to your diet. An article published in the July 2007 issue of "The Annals of Pharmacotherapy" illustrates the potential danger of taking high doses of fish oil. A 63-year-old woman took 2.8 g of fish oil daily for six weeks to lower her triglycerides. It worked -- the woman's triglycerides dropped nearly 50 percent. But her LDL cholesterol nearly doubled.
Considerations
Mercury and other contaminants in fish may prove harmful, especially to pre-menopausal women and children. You could obtain some, but not all of the benefits of fish oil through plant sources of omega-3. Good choices include canola oil, olive oil and walnuts. Some healthy oils -- corn oil for example -- contain omega 6 fatty acids. Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids compete with each other in your bloodstream. To obtain the most benefit of omega 3 fatty acids in fish oil, moderate your intake of omega 6 fatty acids.
References
- MayoClinic.com; High Cholesterol; June 24 2010
- American Heart Association; Diet, Lifestyle Changes Can Significantly Reduce Triglyceride; April 18 2011
- American Heart Association; Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids; Sept. 7 2010
- "The Annals of Pharmacotherapy"; Elevation of Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Concentration With Over-the-Counter Fish Oil Supplementation; Jennifer Malinowski and Kimberly Metka; July 2007
- Mayo Clinic; Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Fish Oil, Alpha-Linolenic Acid; April 1, 2011
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