Metabolic syndrome is a common condition and a major cause of heart attacks. It can also increase your risk of stroke and diabetes. Metabolic syndrome is characterized by having three or more of the following conditions: obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or high blood sugar levels.

Common contributors of metabolic syndrome can include excess sugar intake, hormonal deficiencies such as low thyroid, low testosterone in men, and inadequate intake of fish oil. A new study featured in the March 2012 issue of Pharmaceutical Biology shows that supplementing with fish oil can help reverse metabolic syndrome.

Researchers studied 140 patients with metabolic syndrome, giving them two grams a day of fish oil for six months. The treatment reversed many features of the metabolic syndrome. LDL cholesterol levels fell, triglycerides were lower and several biomarkers of artery-damaging inflammation decreased. Meanwhile, the study participants who weren't taking fish oil saw a worsening of those factors.

In addition to taking a fish oil supplement, exercise has been shown to not only prevent but also reverse metabolic syndrome.