Research
Macro partitioning
Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids significantly reduces triglycerides in individuals with familial hypercholesterolemia, but has no significant impact on total or LDL cholesterol.
For FH patients, high-dose omega-3s (4-6g/day) are effective at lowering triglycerides. However, do not expect them to significantly lower LDL cholesterol. They are best used as an adjunct for triglyceride management, not as a primary cholesterol-lowering strategy.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
omega-3 fatty acids reduced triglycerides (mean difference (MD): −0.27 mmol/L, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.47 to −0.07, p < 0.01)... A non-significant trend towards a reduction in subjects’ total cholesterol (MD: −0.34, 95% CI: −0.68 to 0, mmol/L, p = 0.05) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD: −0.31 mmol/L, 95% CI: −0.61 to 0, mmol/L, p = 0.05) was noticed.
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 3 RCTs with low/unclear bias risk.
Source
Diet and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Individuals with Familial Hypercholesterolemia: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Fotios Barkas et al. · Nutrients · 2020
DOI 10.3390/nu12082436
Meta-analysis · 17 studiesCited 57×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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