People living on the Greek island of Crete have very low rates of heart disease even thoug h their diet is high in fat. Most of their dietary fat comes from olive oil, a monounsaturated fat that tends to lower levels of 'bad' LDL-cholesterol and maintain levels of 'good' HDL-cholesterol.

The Inuit, or Eskimo, people of Alaska and Greenland also are relatively free of heart disease despite a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet. The staple food in their diet is fish rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

ome research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish such as salmon and mackerel as well as in soybean and canola oil, lower both LDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Some nutrition experts recommend eating fish once or twice a week to reduce heart disease risk. However, it is virtually impossible to get the type of beneficial essential fat levels from a western diet and so supplementation for many people is a positive option.

Also, emerging and established research has found that omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids have also been found to reduce both LDL and HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Linoleic acid, an essential nutrient (one that the body cannot make for itself) and a component of corn, soybean and safflower oil, is an omega-6 fatty acid. At one time, many nutrition experts recommended increasing consumption of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats because of their cholesterol-lowering effects and this is still supported by many health professionals ans nutritional therapists today.

The fat rich and disease free state of health in the Inuit and mediterrean populations may be a solid indicator as to the beneficial nature of fats in diet and these can also be obtained in a convenient supplemental form in oth omega 3 and omega 6 but for best effect should be initially supplemented as a synergistic complex so all omega types are bio-absorbed in a balanced form.