Omega-3 fatty acids, like those found in fish oil, may help reduce triglycerides
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study appeared in the American Journal of Cardiology (epublished ahead of print June 15, 2011). The subjects were 229 patients with high triglyceride levels (500-2000) with fasting. Subjects were given an omega-3 fatty acid supplement (either 4 grams per day or 2 grams per day of a product containing 96% of the ethyl ester of EPA) or a placebo. Overall, patients with triglycerides higher than 750 at the start of the trial, experienced a 45.4% reduction when taking 4 grams per day of the EPA. Those taking 2 grams per day had a 32.9% reduction. The authors of the study concluded that the EPA supplement “significantly reduced the triglyceride levels and improved other lipid parameters without significantly increasing the LDL cholesterol levels.
