Skip to main content

Fish Oil Supplements Counteract Genetic Predisposition to High Cholesterol

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 14, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 14, 2024 -- Fish oil seems to counteract genetic predisposition to high cholesterol, according to a study published online July 15 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Yitang Sun, Ph.D., from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia in Athens, and colleagues examined whether fish oil supplementation modifies the association between genetically predicted and observed concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides. The analysis included data from 441,985 participants in the U.K. Biobank.

The researchers found that fish oil supplementation attenuates the associations between genetically predicted and observed circulating concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides while accentuating the corresponding association for HDL cholesterol. Findings were consistent across different polygenic score (PGS) calculation methods. Each standard deviation increment in PGS for triglycerides was associated with a 0.254 increase in the observed concentration of participants reporting fish oil usage. A stronger association was seen in nonusers (0.267). Similarly, fish oil significantly attenuates the association between genetically predicted and observed concentrations of triglycerides in participants of African ancestry.

"Our study shows that considering lifestyles will improve genetic prediction," coauthor Kaixiong Ye, Ph.D., also from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, said in a statement. "Our findings also support that fish oil supplements may counteract the genetic predisposition to high cholesterol."

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted August 2024

Read this next

Combination Lipid-Lowering Therapy Linked to Greater Drop in LDL-C

FRIDAY, March 28, 2025 -- Combination lipid-lowering therapy (LLT) is associated with a greater reduction in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared with statin...

Olpasiran Leads to Significant Reduction in Oxidized Phospholipids

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2025 -- Olpasiran, a small interfering RNA, which blocks lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) production, leads to a significant and sustained reduction in oxidized...

Elevated HDL Cholesterol Linked to Increased Risk for Glaucoma

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 5, 2025 -- Elevated high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is associated with an increased risk for glaucoma, while elevated low-density lipoprotein...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.