Did the title of this article grab your interest? I’ll bet it was because, like most Americans, you’re thinking about the fat around your middle or in your hips. This article is about the fat that floats in your blood stream which, believe it or not, may be even more important.

This fat is called triglycerides. Triglycerides are made in the liver from what we eat or have stored in our body and then secreted into the blood. Triglycerides are used as a source of energy by the body for its multiple functions.

Blood levels of triglycerides can be tested with a simple laboratory test. According to the American Heart Association triglycerides are considered high whenever they exceed 150 mg/dL

It is important to know your triglyceride level because high triglycerides can cause medical problems. If your triglyceride level is very high (over 500), you have an increased risk of a life threatening condition known as pancreatitis. Cases of pancreatitis are rare. If your triglyceride levels are high (200 to 499), especially if cholesterol levels are also high, you may be at increased risk of heart disease, such as a heart attack.

Treatment of high triglyceride levels includes adopting a low carbohydrate, low calorie diet, exercising, cutting alcohol intake, and treating a low thyroid level. There are also prescription medications for the problem.

An increasingly attractive way for doctors to help patients lower triglyceride levels is to recommend use of fish oil. Fish oil is high in omega-3 fatty acid which when taken at a dose of 4 grams per day can cut high triglyceride levels nearly in half. Many doctors prefer using these products because the product is derived from a natural source (fish), there are few associated side effects, and it is effective in lowering triglyceride levels.

Ok, so we are going to have to make this just a little complicated; we can’t help ourselves. The specific omega-3 fatty acids that help lower triglycerides are called EPA and DHA. The more of these fatty acids in the product the better. In its natural state, fatty fish, such as salmon, provides about 1/3 of their total fat content as EPA and DHA; the rest of the fat is saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol (none of which is good if consumed in large quantities). If you were to go into a pharmacy to buy fish oils, you will find that most of these products contain 1000 to 1200 mg of fish oil but provide only 200 to 400 mg of EPA + DHA. Some manufacturers have figured out how to extract mainly the EPA + DHA omega-3 fatty acids so that each capsule provides about 90% of these active ingredients.

So why is this so important that I took the time to make this point? It’s because the purer the product the less you will be consuming the unwanted ingredients. Even more, since the dose of EPA and DHA determines how effective the fish oil is in lowering triglyceride levels, you will need to take less of the pure product and more of the totally natural product. So let’s say you want to lower triglyceride levels. Doctors have determined that the best dose for achieving this is 4 grams of EPA + DHA per day. So if you buy a natural product from the pharmacy, you will end up taking 12-18 capsules a day. But if you took the highly purified product, you would only need to take 4 capsules per day.

I hope this helps you understand that knowing about EPA and DHA is important in selecting fish oil products. Now, here’s the good news. National Clinical Research-Richmond is currently evaluating a number of highly purified omega-3 fatty acid products in people with high or very high triglycerides. Don’t miss out on these interesting studies. As with all of our studies, there will be no cost to the participant, including no cost for the medical care and the omega-3 fatty acid products. Even more, if you don’t know exactly what your triglyceride level is but think its high, we can check it for you at no charge. Call 755-2300 to learn more.