Taking 2000 mg of omega-3s daily for three months doesn’t change your good cholesterol, total cholesterol, or inflammation markers — so if it helps lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides, it’s not because it’s reducing overall inflammation or affecting all types of fats in your blood.

Taking 2000 mg of omega-3 fish oil daily for three months doesn't lower a common marker of body inflammation called hsCRP, no matter what your genes say. So, if omega-3s help your cholesterol, it's probably not because they're calming down inflammation.

People with a specific gene variation called PPARG may see much better results from taking omega-3 supplements—like lower bad cholesterol and triglycerides—than people without that gene variation.

For middle-aged and older adults with high 'bad' cholesterol and certain gene versions, taking 2000 mg of omega-3 fish oil every day for three months can lower their bad cholesterol and triglycerides more than a placebo — and their genes might make this effect stronger.

People with a specific gene variation and high 'bad' cholesterol tend to have even higher cholesterol levels than others, and their bodies might respond better to omega-3 supplements to help lower it.

If scientists find out that omega-3 fats (like those in fish) cancel out the bad effects of saturated fats (like butter or cheese) on cholesterol, then maybe we shouldn’t be told to avoid saturated fats so strictly anymore.