Omega3 supplementation with high triglycerides

Nutrition Q&A [Moderated]
1

Jordan, in a previous post you mentioned that the only people who need to supplement with omega 3 are “pregnant women, asthmatics, rheumatoid arthritis, and those with high triglycerides.”

I just recently had some blood work done and I have high triglycerides. The doctor’s comments: “has quite elevated triglycerides at 380. Confirm was fasting. What I want him to do is work on diet and exercise. Also I want him to start taking a Fish oil 1-2 times a day. Repeat 6 months. Otherwise blood work normal”

So I would assume I am a candidate for supplementation? If so, how much omega 3? Are there forms (as triglycerides/ethyl esters, fish vs krill, chia/flaxseed) that are better than others?

Sorry for all the questions, but there seems to be so much bad info on omega 3s out there.

Cholesterol, Total 151 0-199 mg/dL
Triglycerides 380 0-149 mg/dL
HDL Cholesterol 26 40-60 mg/dL
VLDL Cholesterol Cal 76 1-30 mg/dL
LDL Cholesterol Calc 49 0-129 mg/dL

Doctor also said high tri’s messed up the LDL reading. Is that reasonable?

Thanks!

2

Cpossible,

Thanks for this. The problem with answering it in the context of your specific case is that you’ve already seen a doctor who has recommended a treatment based on their evaluation of you (more information), which we are not privy to at this time.

As far as if you’re a candidate for supplementation it’s not really clear at your triglyceride level if you’d benefit from it from a cardiovascular risk standpoint. I’d like to see your HDL go up and I’d have to know more about you to have a firmer opinion on that.

And yes, your doc is right. The equation used in most labs to measure LDL from Total Cholesterol - HDL relies on a fixed triglyceride: VLDL ratio. It is inaccurate when one of those variables are outside the reference ratio.