Today’s consumers are keenly aware of the need to maintain healthy LDL levels, hoping they can manage it through diet and exercise. Of course, when unfavorable hereditary factors converge with an unhealthy diet and a harried lifestyle, many people must rely on statin drugs to lower their LDL levels. Unfortunately, statins carry side effects, including muscle pain, nausea, and inflammation. Plus, they come with warnings regarding memory loss, mental confusion, high blood sugar, and type 2 diabetes.

An essential fatty acid—and it’s not omega-3 or omega-6—has shown great promise in managing cardiovascular health through the lowering of LDL cholesterol levels.  

Cardia 7 is a product available on many popular consumer supplement sites. Its active ingredient is a purified form of omega-7 (Provinal™), which has been found to lower LDL cholesterol levels in humans in doses as small as 210 mg; animal models have shown a reversal in arterial plaque. This omega-7 comes from anchovies, a source of many omega-3 products.

Tersus Pharmaceuticals, the manufacturer of this omega-7 product, has a scientific advisory board led by Dr Michael Roizen, chief wellness officer at The Cleveland Clinic, a world renowned leader in cardiovascular health.  

This recent excerpt from Dr Roizen’s nationally syndicated column says it all:

“You’ve already heard plenty about DHA, the great-for-you omega-3 fatty acid in fatty fish and fish or algal oil capsules. Now research from Harvard Medical School, the Cleveland Clinic, the University of Hawaii and Japan suggest that purified omega-7s (purified Palmitoleic Acid) have amazing powers, too. They squelched heart-threatening LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, boosted ticker-friendly HDLs, decreased fatty liver, and improved your cells  ability to take in blood sugar (and not have it cause problems) in several well-designed studies”.

Innovation that provides health benefits without the common side effects of drugs is a welcome addition to the fish oil market in particular—and the overall consumer dietary supplements market in general.