"Among 18 studies of type II diabetes or the metabolic syndrome, omega-3 fatty acids had a favorable effect on triglyceride levels relative to placebo (pooled random effects estimate: -31.61; 95% CI, -49.58, -13.64) but had no effect on total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, fasting blood sugar, or glycosylated hemoglobin, by meta-analysis. Omega-3 fatty acids had no effect on plasma insulin or insulin resistance in type II diabetics or patients with the metabolic syndrome, by qualitative analysis of four studies"
So while it’s no help for managing BG directly or improving cholesterol, it does seem to drop triglycerides. This can be important for many Type II’s who are over-weight and at high risk for heart attack and stroke. Even though I'm not overweight, dropping triglycerides is one of my major goals since my symptoms match up with too high a triglyceride level impairing insulin's action and messing with my liver. When first diagonosed I had a swollen liver, most likely from eating too much saturated fat.
Getting over "fatty liver" is high on my list of objectives.
A downside, or at least a risk to try to manage, is that since many of the Omega-3 supplements are made from deep-sea fish oil, is the possibility of contamination with mercury and other heavy metals. This can be avoided, since the vendor can remove the metals during processing, but is something to be aware of. In this case especially, a bargain may include stuff you don’t want.
You also need to avoid, as in all supplements, over dosing. The NIH recommendation for a dosage is 650-900 mg. Be warned, some advertised pills have doses as high as 3000 mg.
Other possible downsides include clinical bleeding, gastrointestinal complaints or nausea, diarrhea, headache, and dermatological problems.
Bottom line; I’ll be adding a daily pill, from a trusted vendor, to my regimen in the hope of slightly lower triglycerides.
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