Omega-3 a precursor to a healthy heart

Published: juin 1st, 2023 | by Alexandra Leon

Columbia University Medical Center strongly suggests supplementing or adding fish oils to our daily diet to prevent cardiovascular diseases. Fish oils decreases lipoprotein lipase activity which means it prevents LDL from being trapped in the arterial walls of the aorta and other vessels. This helps prevent the formation of the arteriosclerotic plaque leading to Coronary artery disease, the number 1 killer in North America!

More specifically, DHA seems to play an important role in improving triglycerides levels. As shown by the University of California, DHA supplementation (omega 3) reduces inflammation in men with high triglycerides. In their study, inflammatory markers reduced by 23% after supplementation of DHA. Since inflammation is a great predictor of heart attack, stroke, and all-cause mortality in otherwise healthy men, it is important to diminish its presence for a healthier lifestyle.

Research:

In a 2 weeks mice study from Columbia University, use 3 diet types: 4.5% fat diet (control group), 42% saturated fat diet (resembling Western diet) and fats from Fish oils. These mice were injected with labeled cholesterol that permitted to track the cholesterol uptake in the heart’s arteries. The fish oil group demonstrated the best outcome: lowest levels of free fatty acids by 40% compared to control and 70% for triglyceride compared to control. More importantly, this group also had the lowest LDL cholesterol entry into their aorta!