It’s no secret that high cholesterol due to poor diet and lack of exercise can mean trouble. Cholesterol can bind with other substances and build up as plaque on arteries, causing them to narrow or even become blocked.

What you may not know though is that you can end up with cholesterol problems, even if it seems like you’re doing everything right.

That’s because high cholesterol, like so many other health problems, can be caused by your genes.

So if your parents or grandparents passed on a tendency for cholesterol issues, it could make you a ticking time bomb.

But don’t throw in the towel yet…

According to researchers from the University of Georgia, there’s one thing that can trump high cholesterol, even if it’s driven by your genes. And it’s simple, healthy and already shown to support heart health.

Beating back bad cholesterol

Georgia researchers say the simple answer to cholesterol is fish oil.

Yup, good old omega-3 essential fatty acids, which many experts believe will be the future “drug of choice” for high cholesterol can even help people whose bodies are genetically programmed to have higher levels of triglycerides and LDL (bad cholesterol).

Using genetic data from more than 441,000 participants, the researchers calculated a score to predict the genetic likelihood of high levels of total cholesterol, high LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol (or “good” cholesterol).

And they found that hands-down, participants who reported taking fish oil supplements had lower blood lipid levels than predicted, especially for total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Their conclusion?

“Taking fish oil is associated with a shift toward a healthy lipid profile,” says study author, Kaixiong Ye.

“Our findings also support that fish oil supplements may counteract the genetic predisposition to high cholesterol.”

Adding fish oil to your routine

There’s a reason researchers look for alternatives for lowering cholesterol risk. Some reports have stated that as many as one in two patients stop taking statins, reduce the dose or take them irregularly because they believe the cholesterol-lowering drugs cause muscle pain and other side-effects.

Experiences like that helped make fish oil a popular option. And this recent research adds to credible evidence that getting omega-3s from fish oil is the way to go if you want better cholesterol. But some people who’ve tried fish oil supplements give them up due to fish burps.

Another option is krill oil. There’s evidence that krill oil supplements can deliver omega-3s without causing digestive issues because it is more bioavailable. That’s because krill oil’s fatty acids are stored as phospholipids, while the fatty acids in fish oils are stored primarily as triglycerides. It’s also considered a clean and sustainable source.

And remember, you can also add delicious fatty fish, like salmon to your diet, at least 2 to 3 times a week. If you have seafood allergies, you might not tolerate krill oil so eating fish or fish oil may suit you better.

Fortunately, there are a few other nutritional options for supporting better cholesterol. These include:

1. Getting more fiber – Taking psyllium fiber can help reduce cholesterol absorption into your bloodstream by binding cholesterol and its precursors in the digestive system and dragging them out of the body before they get into circulation.
2. Eating grains – Whole grains, like oats and barley, can help lower all non-HDL cholesterol values and support your gut microbiota, a major factor in regulating cholesterol metabolism.
3. Picking prickly pear – Prickly pear, or nopales cactus, tastes like a cross between all-natural bubble gum and watermelon and can help lower both total and LDL cholesterol.
4. Supplement with B5 – Studies have shown that supplementing with pantethine, a derivative of vitamin B5 could lead to an up to 64.7% decrease in plasma total cholesterol.

Sources:

At risk of high cholesterol? Taking fish oil may help — EurekAlert!