Research

Micronutrients & recovery

Fish oil supplementation prevents cardiovascular disease by competitively displacing pro-inflammatory n-6 fatty acids in tissue phospholipids, thereby lowering the % n-6 in HUFA to a safer range (<50%) and widening the therapeutic window for essential fatty acids.

To prevent heart disease, focus on balancing your intake of fatty acids rather than just lowering cholesterol. Increase fish oil (n-3) intake (up to 5g/day is safe) and reduce vegetable oils (n-6). The goal is to lower the percentage of n-6 fatty acids in your blood lipids to below 50%. This shifts your cell membranes to produce less inflammatory signals and reduces cardiovascular risk.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Dietary fish oil could be a successful supplement in primary preventive interventions in CVD that balance the intakes of n-3 and n-6 nutrients and maintain balanced n-3 and n-6 HUFA in tissues.
Bill Lands · Drug Safety · 2016

Why this rating

The paper is a review article citing ecological data and mechanistic studies, but notes clinical trials have been confusing due to lack of HUFA balance monitoring.

Source

Benefit–Risk Assessment of Fish Oil in Preventing Cardiovascular Disease

Bill Lands · Drug Safety · 2016

narrative_reviewCited 15×
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