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Lower Cholesterol Without Drugs
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Chapter 9: Flax Oil and Omega-3 Fatty Acids_____________________________________________
It is very important to understand that we eat too many omega-6 fatty acids and too few omega-3 fatty acids. There have been countless studies published on the benefits of omega-3 supplementation. This includes diseases and conditions of all types and not just blood lipids. It is very difficult to get a good supply of omega-3 fats in your diet unless you eat a lot of fatty fish like sardines, salmon, herring and mackerel. This is obviously not a practical means. Most of the studies have, in fact, been based on fish liver oils. Fortunately, the best source in the world is the flax seed. Any studies using fish liver oils would have gotten the same results with flax oil. Flax is a cleaner, less expensive plant product that is preferable to fish oils. The omega-6 fatty acids are known as linoleic, while the omega-3s are known as linolenic. (This can be confusing due to the similarity of names.) Let’s look at just a few of the human studies using omega-3’s to not only lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but to improve other important blood parameters generally.
At the University of Toronto (Am. J. Clin. Nutr. v.69, 1999) flaxseed lowered undesirable LDL cholesterol levels in both men and women. At the National Institute of Nutrition in India (Nutr. Res. v.12, 1992) people were given high content omega-3 oils in their diets and their total cholesterol and triglyceride levels dropped; other blood qualities were improved as well.
At the University of Iceland two different groups of Icelanders were studied- native and Canadian. Even though the native Icelanders had higher total cholesterol and high LDL levels (but lower triglycerides) they had far less mortality from ischemic heart disease because they had lower omega-6 fatty acid levels yet three times the omega-3 levels than the Canadians. This low ratio of omega -6 to omega-3 fats in their blood protected them from heart disease and premature death.
At Aalborg Hospital in Denmark (Lipids v. 29, 1994) volunteers were given flax oil (high in omega-3s) or corn oil (high in omega-6s) in their diets in a classic double blind study. They could not taste the difference in their foods. The people given the flax oil based diet lowered their triglycerides and LDL levels as well as their total cholesterol levels with no change in what they ate or how they exercised. At the University of Oslo in Norway doctors gave fish oil (high in omega 3s) or corn oil (high in omega-6s) to different groups of people for four months. Those people getting the omega-3s lowered their LDL levels significantly and improved their other blood parameters generally.
At Ulleval Hospital in Norway (Scand. J. Clin. Lab. Invest. v. 54, 1994) another classic double blind study was done with 57 patients, all of whom had high cholesterol levels and had undergone heart bypass surgery. Those patients given the omega-3s lowered their triglyceride levels significantly, but also improved their glucose homeostasis (blood sugar metabolism was normalized), which leads to diabetes when unbalanced.
At the University of Regensburg in Germany 35 men with heart disease were given a double blind study for vegetable based omega-3 fatty acids and fish oil based omega-3s. Both groups lowered their total cholesterol and LDL levels. This is an excellent study to demonstrate that whatever the source, fish or flax, the benefits still occur equally.
At the Northern General Hospital in Britain (Lipids v. 27, 1992) 365 people with diagnosed heart disease, high cholesterol, or a family history of heart disease were given a fish oil supplement high in omega-3 fats, but no other dietary changes for a period of four full years. The ones getting the omega-3 supplement suffered a mere l% heart attack rate in this time, while the ones who got no supplement suffered a drastic 9% heart attack rate. This proves the long term effects and how the benefits accrue over time. The fish oil group lowered their total cholesterol, lowered their triglycerides, raised their HDL levels, and lowered their undesirable blood fibrinogen levels as well.
At the Jordan Heart Fund Foundation in New Jersey (Am. J. Clin. Nutr. v.12, 1993) doctors gave flaxseed and vitamin E supplements to patients with hypercholesterolemia for three months. Their cholesterol levels fell, and their LDL levels fell as well. Platelet aggregation decreased to more desirable levels and other blood measurements were improved.
At the United States Agricultural Research Service in Maryland scientists gave a similar combination of fish oil high in omega-3 fatty acids along with vitamin E to a group of forty healthy men with no history of heart or artery disease. They were fed the usual high fat American diet of 40% fat mostly of saturated animal fats for eight weeks in a double blind study. Here half the men got plain vegetable oil high in omega-6s. At the end of eight weeks the ones getting the fish oil and vitamin E had greatly improved blood profiles not just for fat levels, but also for such factors as red corpuscle count.
It is very difficult to reduce blood pressure in people simply by using natural supplements, since hypertension is due more to stress than anything else. Generally, the only way to lower blood pressure is to make basic changes in lifestyle including diet, exercising, smoking, drinking alcohol and coffee. Studies show that about one fourth of Americans have a higher than desirable blood pressure, and younger people suffer from this more every year. At the University of Trondheim in Norway doctors gave omega-3 fatty acid supplements to men with high blood pressure with no other treatments or changes in their lifestyles (Proc. Scand. Sympos. on Lipids 16th 1991). Amazingly enough they lowered their blood pressures just from taking the supplements. This kind of study is most significant as it shows we can strengthen our bodies to deal with stress without getting a rise in blood pressure, which causes strokes and early death.
At Nycomed Pharma AS in Norway (J. Optimal Nutr. v. 2 1993) 52 men were either given fish oil (with 66% omega-3 fatty acids) supplements or olive oil supplements for three weeks. With the fish oil their fibrinogen levels fell 13%, triglycerides fell an amazing 28% in this short time, and their good HDL levels went up 10%. The men on the olive oil increased their triglycerides a full 27%. So much for the “olive oil is good for you” propaganda. A low fat diet is best, and the lower the fats in your diet the better. Vegetable oils are simply less harmful than animal fats.
At the University of Kansas (J. Appl.Nutr. v. 43, 1991) healthy men with no known heart or circulation conditions were given omega-3 supplements as fish oil. Their triglyceride levels dropped an impressive 36%. What prescription drug at any price could give results like this? At Kings College in London Brit. J. Nutr. v.68, 1992) healthy males were given fish oil capsules for six weeks. The results were most impressive in that triglyceride and LDL levels fell, and apoprotein-B (Ap-B) levels went up to a healthier level. Other blood parameters such as as platelet aggregation were improved as well. In addition to all this they also found both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels fell. Again we find omega-3s have the power to lower blood pressure with no change in lifestyle. The same results would have been obtained with flax oil.
At Uppsala University in Sweden volunteers were given fish oil supplements or a placebo for two weeks in a double blind study. Then the groups were switched and the ones getting the fish oil now got the placebo (Nutrition Research v. 12, 1992). Constant and regular measurement of their blood was continually taken. Dangerous Lipoprotein-A (Lp-A) was lowered by 19%, total cholesterol fell as did triglycerides, and HDL levels rose in the supplemented groups. You could hardly ask for anything better than this with an inexpensive natural food supplement.
At the Women’s University in Japan 50 healthy young women with no heart or circulatory problems were studied for a wide variety of diets. These ranged from 15% fat calories all the way to 40% fat calories. Their diets literally and directly determined the quality of their blood, especially the ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids they ate each day. The women with the highest levels of omega-3s and the lowest levels of omega-6s had the lowest total cholesterol and triglyceride levels and the highest HDL levels. (Nippon Eiyo v. 49, 1996). This shows direct blood measurement compared to diet in normal people and why we should eat less fat and oils of all types and balance our omega-3 to omega-6 ratios by taking flax oil supplements.
Please remember that flax oil is better choice over fish oil for a variety of reasons. Buy it and store it refrigerated. Ground flax seed is even better, but few people will actually add freshly ground flax to their food every day.
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