Fish oil causing high cholesterol?

I started taking fish oil supplements about a year and a half ago because I was told that it would help support a healthy heart and I hate fish. My cholesterol and triglycerides were both normal when I added the supplement to my daily regiment. Since then every time I have my blood drawn my numbers are rising. When I first noticed them on the rise I went from regular MegaRed to Extra Strength MegaRed and after that my numbers increased dramatically. I am wondering if adding the supplement has caused my cholesterol to rise or is it only a coincidence? If it could have effected my numbers if I stop taking it would  my numbers to eventually go back to normal or am I going to have to go on a statin? I did try taking niacin but it makes my throat/tongue and cheeks feel weird. Not hot or itchy but sort of like a slightly swollen sensation. I have no redness or rash and also no breathing problems or caughing just the strange sensation of swelling.  I can not find this as a side effect therefore I am afraid I could have an allergy to Niacin

Cholesterol, Total 209
Triglycerides/100
HDL/60
VLDL/20
LDL/129
LDL/HDL Radio 2.2
Non-HDL 149

[Flycaster305]

I don't know for sure, but I think the brand you are taking isn't fish oil, but isn't it krill oil?  You might try taking a good fish oil tablet, 2000 grams daily... that's what I take.
Your total cholesterol is high, but so is your HDL  - the good cholesterol.  Have both the LDL and HDL gone up, or just the HDL?  If so the MegaRed is doing what it does best, raise the good cholesterol.
If I had your cholesterol test, I would mix in a Statin.  You will be tested after 90 days and if you have an adverse reaction (there is only a tiny chance) the blood tests will catch it.  I sure wish I'd taken one when my cholesterol started rising, believe me, there is hell to pay if it spirals.
Keep us informed.

[erijon]

Flycaster is correct, Mega Red is a krill oil. Get a good deep ocean fish oil made from salmon. Also, look to make sure a days dosage will exceed a total DHA/EPA of 600.

Jon

[braidyn]

Yes it is krill oil and both my LDL and HDL raised when I started taking it. If I can keep from taking a statin I want to. I want to try diet changes before getting on any drugs. I know they plan on checking me again in 90 days and then I will consider a statin if I have to. My endo had suggested that many fish oils contain large amounts of cholesterol and that if I felt I had to be on fish oil that I should see about taking a prescription but I hear that is extremely costly. I also read somewhere that MegaRed is not as good as it once was and that is what caused me to wonder if it could be the krill oil causing the rise. How do I know which brands are best and not filled with cholesterol?

[erijon]

It's really simple, don't be fooled by the dosage on the bottles. They range from 1,000 mg to 2,000 mg. Look at the lable on the back for the total amount of DHA/EPA per day and make sure it's over 600 mg combined. Also, try to find one made froma  deep ocean fish, salmon is a good one.

Jon

[Flycaster305]

As a retired commercial salmon fisherman, I have an opinion... the percentage of deep ocean caught salmon oil that is captured in Omega3 oils is pretty small, most of the Omega3 oils come from Chilean or Canadian farmed salmon.  I've had my hands in the bodies of literally tons of Ocean-caught salmon, and the flesh is firm, pink, and full of fat.  When I examine the fish at the market, I see a product in most cases that is pink, from chemicals to color it, weak, from not having to work for a living, and wanting for fat.  For this reason, I select an Omega3 oil from sardines and mackeral, which can't be farmed fish.  The reason doctors push you to highly filtered prescription-grade fish oil is because farmed fish also tend to have high mercury concentrations, and certainly that isn't healthy, the filtered product removes that problem. To repeat, most fish oil Omega3/6/9
products come from farmed fish, and if unfiltered, is highly concentrated with pottutents.
I'd research the fish oil, select as Jon suggests ocean-caught fish oil, but almost always, that is anchovy, sardine, tuna or mackeral products.  I personally avoid Salmon over the counter pills.  

[annemoore29]

We all know that fich is high in cholesterol

[wh2399]

It's hard to say if the fish oil is causing this or not.  I take fish oil per my doc and it has no effect on either my BP or cholesterol count.  I would take a very close look at your diet and scrutinize it very closely.  Animal protein of any kind, dairy and oils of any kind can raise your cholesterol.  Don't worry about the HDL so much, but focus on getting the total <150 and LDL ideally less than 80.  This is a level that will prevent heart disease.

[dolphin8808]

I was wondering this myself as I have NEVER had a problem with cholesterol until taking fish oils either?

[gymdandee]

Cholesterol and Triglyceride Lowering Foods
Mushrooms (maitake, Shiitake ), Dark Chocolate ( Raw Organic Cacao ),
Pomegranates, Almonds, Garlic, Fish and Fish Oil,
Wild Blueberries ( you can buy them frozen ), Apples, Avocados.

As for Krill oil I suggest trying
Source Naturals Arctic Pure Krill Oil  take 3 grams per day.
If this doesn't help then ask your doctor about taking Nature's Plus Herbal Actives Red Yeast Rice Check the link below!

https://www.consumerlab.com/reviews/Red-Yeast-Rice-Supplements-Review/Red_Yeast_Rice/

Also consider taking New Chapter Supercritical Omega-7

[Flycaster305]

As I understand the science, fish oil tend to raise the HDL cholesterol, so if other diet or drug changes aren't made, your cholesterol would probably rise.  That said, the better the ratio of HDL to LDL, the better it will be for your heart.