Fish oil and triglycerides

[wanaberetiree]

My triglycerides are high and my doc recommended taking oil fish.

Anybody had positive/negative results with oil fish or any other suggestions?

 

[braumeister]

Just a small point. What is your history with this?
My triglycerides were literally all over the map for many years. I have the lab records going back over 20 years, and it varied wildly between 74 and 288, with no apparent pattern, but usually between 115 and 160.

When I switched to a low carb diet a couple of years ago, my triglycerides immediately went down to the low 90s, and have stayed there, very stable.

Fish oil (omega 3) is a good diet supplement for several reasons, so I would concur in your doctor's recommendation. But I'm not sure it has a huge effect on triglycerides.

 

[wanaberetiree]

My triglycerides are all over the map, but on the high end.
Can you share what you did when switched to a low carb diet?

thx

 

[braumeister]

My triglycerides are all over the map, but on the high end.
Can you share what you did when switched to a low carb diet?

I read this:
Amazon.com: Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It (9780307474254): Gary Taubes: Books

 

[imoldernu]

Don't mean to go one up, but my triglycerides were, at one time, about five years ago, ranging between 500 and 1000... While I took Omega 3 capsules, they did little to lower the readings, and even a diet change had little effect... down to the high 300's.
The recommended drug is Tricor (generic fenofibrate), which has dropped the reading to under 150...

Whether with triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, or any of the blood test readings, the effect on each individual is different, as is the effect of different drugs. Naturally the approved standards are correct as a guideline, but can be less important than the general health and physical makeup of each individual.

Obviously, any combination of exercise, good diet, sleep habits and avoidance of physical health risk are the best means of attaining goals, but avoidance of medication may be worse be worse than relying only on the natural cures.

One of my own cautions to myself, is to double check the online sources for motive. Many websites that purport to offer "cures" are often naturopathic medicine sites. I'm more inclined to go to places like WebMD, National Library of Medicine and National Institute for Health. The great part about being retired, is that ya have the time to do in depth research. There's enough information available to be as knowledgeable as the doctor, which makes the actual doctor visits much more productive. Saves a lot of guessing and missed communication.

 

[haha]

Don't mean to go one up, but my triglycerides were, at one time, about five years ago, ranging between 500 and 1000... While I took Omega 3 capsules, they did little to lower the readings, and even a diet change had little effect... down to the high 300's.

I suppose there is always someone, but I have never heard of anyone whose triglycerides did not plummet on a really low carbohydrate diet.

And while medicines might be da bomb, it is nevertheless very unlikely that high tri's are caused by a deficiency of fenofibrate.

Ha

 

[Sue J]

Some people take the enteric coated ones to cut down on fishy side effects but I found that they weren't dissolving before I saw them again. An obvious case of flushing money down the drain.

I take the regular ones now and have no fishy side effects. Triglycerides are 168, down from 217.

I get them at Walmart - http://www.walmart.com/ip/Spring-Valley-Omega-3-Fish-Oil-Dietary-Supplement-Twin-Pack-2-ct/12556785

 

[ohyes]

Yes to checking with your dr. I started taking fish oil just cause it seemed like good idea from what i was reading. Never checked with my dr.

Hair was beautifully glossy if i say so myself. was getting compliments, anyway.

One morning, about 2AM, i awoke with a horrific nosebleed....scared the living daylights out of me. Immediately stopped the fish oil....have seen dr. a couple times since but never remembered to ask about that. It was scary, though.

 

[Richard4444]

I swithced to a mostly (not all) plant based diet a few years ago and my triglycerides went from 103 to 55, and total chol from 220 to 156 within months. Wasn't bad to begin with but didn't want to progress to statins if I didn't have to. Sounds boring but healthy (it seems): Every morning is very low-sugar oatmeal with berries (yum ) , and 4 - 5 lunches a week I make smoothie shakes with kale (you never taste it), cabbage, berries and a half banana ( yum yum ). Two ice creams or frozen yogurts per week though and dinner includes a salad and maybe fish. And I eat out 3 nights per week, so who knows what I really eat then. Hey - you once developed a taste for beer, didn't you?

 

[oldtrig]

Save your money and listen to imoldernu . That post nailed it. oldtrig

 

[donheff]

One more for the low carb approach. Mine went from 137 to 91 in a few months with low carb (not radically low). I still eat sandwiches and small amounts of rice and potatoes. I read Gary Taubes book and found it compelling but I have more recently read doctors who just as compellingly claim his central premise is misguided. I stopped worrying about the theories. I don't care whether the results are due to changes in insulin sensitivity, leptin signaling, placebo effect. I just care about the phenomenology - the results are the results

 

[Bikerdude]

Low carb and exercise. If you're not doing both now...try it.

 

[FatCyclist]

From the Journal of the American Medical Association 9/11/12:

Conclusion Overall, omega-3 PUFA supplementation was not associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiac death, sudden death, myocardial infarction, or stroke based on relative and absolute measures of association.

 

[RAE]

One more for the low carb approach. Mine went from 137 to 91 in a few months with low carb (not radically low).

Yep, same here. I don't actually really refer to the way I eat as "low carb" anymore, though, because it is not extremely low carb (I eat some rice and potatoes, sweet potatoes). I like to refer to it as a "real food" diet. Basically, eat mostly real food - meat, fish, veggies, eggs, healthy fats, some nuts and fruit. Avoid most processed foods (anything that comes in a box or a bag, with a list of ingredients on the side). If you can do that, your triglycerides should come down - mine definitely did.

Here is a link with more information on how a low carb/paleo/real food diet can improve your blood test markers, especially HDL and triglycerides:

A Layman's Guide to Cholesterol: What Mark Sisson and Chris Kresser Have Been Trying to Tell Us | modpaleo