Fish oil is one of the most common supplements I hear about when discussing how to lower cholesterol naturally. But does fish oil work as they say it does?

Let’s dig in.

Think of Omega-3 as a chain that can be stretched to three sizes. It starts short and then gets longer. Each of these three sizes is an essential Omega-3 fatty acid.

Step 1: When we eat foods with Omega-3 the process starts as a short chain. This short chain is called ALA, an essential Omega-3 fatty acid.

Step 2: Our body then makes the chain longer to its second size, called EPA. This is the second essential Omega-3 fatty acid.

Step 3: Our body then makes the chain even longer to its third size, called DHA. This is the third essential Omega-3 fatty acid.

So, it starts as a short chain from the food we eat. But since the Western diet doesn’t include enough foods with Omega-3, the idea was to encourage a supplement with already-formed long chains to skip step 1. This is where fish oil comes in, as a supplement of long-chain Omega-3 fatty acids.

​But, here’s what sucks: many randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses show that taking long-chain Omega-3 supplements, like fish oils, do NOT help in preventing or treating heart disease. Check out this quote:, “Newer trials, including the α-OMEGA, OMEGA, ORIGIN, and JELIS trials, question the benefits of fish oil, irrespective of dose, for the primary prevention of CHD, as well as standard-dose fish oil for the secondary prevention of CHD in patients who have benefited from modern post-MI care.”