A University of Georgia study reveals that fish oil supplements may help individuals genetically predisposed to high cholesterol by lowering levels of LDL, total cholesterol, and triglycerides, offering a potential strategy for managing cardiovascular risk. Credit: SciTechDaily.com Fish oil supplements represent a multi-billion dollar industry both in the U.
S. and internationally, with roughly two out of every 25 individuals consuming these popular omega-3 capsules. And a new study from the University of Georgia might encourage a new population to start looking into the supplements as well: people with a genetic predisposition to high cholesterol.
Using genetic data from more than 441,000 participants, the researchers calculated a score to predict the genetic likelihood of high levels of total cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol (which is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol), triglycerides and HDL cholesterol (or “good” cholesterol). “Recent advances in genetic studies have allowed us to predict someone’s genetic risk of high cholesterol,” said Yitang Sun, a recent doctoral graduate from UGA’s Department of Genetics. “But the current prediction has room for improvement because it does not consider individual differences in lifestyles, such as taking fish oil supplements.
” The researchers found that participants who reported taking fish oil supplements had lower blood lipid levels than predicted, especially for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and trigl.