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Read Summaries of Important Scientific Studies on Omega-3's
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Omega-3’s
and Heart Health
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| Omega-3’s
Exhibit Cardioprotective Effects |
In a pivotal study regarding
the benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids derived
from fish oil and heart health, Italian researchers
investigated the effects of polyunsaturated
fatty acids on survivors of myocardial infarction
over a 3 ½ year period. Over eleven thousand
participants were randomly assigned either
supplements of Vitamin E, Omega-3’s or both,
or no supplements whatsoever.
The group receiving Omega-3’s alone experienced
significantly lower mortality rates within
the first three months of the study. Not only
was the risk of sudden death notably reduced
at four months, the fish oil subset enjoyed
significantly reduced rates of all causes
of death, as well as non-fatal myocardial
infarction and non-fatal stroke. Overall,
treatment with fish oil supplements yielded
lower rates of sudden cardiac death (by 45%)
and improved all-cause mortality (by 20%).
The researchers noted that the effects attributable
to the fish oil supplements support the postulation
that Omega-3’s have an anti-arrhythmic effect
on the heart, consistent with prior experimental
studies. The study also noted that treatment
with Vitamin E alone had no statistically-valid
beneficial effect.
“Early Protection
Against Sudden Death by n-3 Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids After Myocardial Infarction: Time-Course
Analysis of the Results of the Gruppo Italiano
per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto
Miocardico (GISSI)-Prevenzione”. Circulation;
2002; 105;1897-1903.
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| Fish Oil Part
of Regimen to Protect Against Heart Disease |
In the first large-scale
study of its kind, researchers from the Kobe
University Graduate School of Medicine in
Japan investigated the health effects of daily
Omega-3 supplements in combination with a
drug commonly prescribed for those at-risk
for heart attacks, angina and other coronary
events.
Patients were all identified as having higher
than average levels of cholesterol. They were
divided into two groups: a main group that
included nearly 15,000 participants with no
prior history of coronary artery disease,
and a secondary group with over 3,600 subjects
with a prior history of coronary artery disease.
Some of each group were given highly-purified
fish oil supplements in addition to statins
(enzyme blockers that lower cholesterol levels
in the blood by reducing the production of
cholesterol by the liver), while others were
given only the prescription drug.
Over the course of the nearly five-year study,
there was a significant difference between
those receiving the fish oil supplements and
those who did not. While both therapies proved
effective in reducing levels of cholesterol,
participants taking the fish oil supplements
and statins had a 19% reduction in risk for
heart illness. The research also noted that
a similar, preventative benefit from daily
fish oil supplementation that may convey to
those not currently deemed at-risk for heart
problems.
“Effects of eicosapentaenoic
acid on cardiovascular events in Japanese
patients with hypercholesterolemia: rationale,
design, and baseline characteristics of the
Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS).”
American Heart Journal. 2003 Oct;146(4):613-20.
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| Taking
Fish Oil Supplements May Prevent Sudden Death
by Cardiac Arrest |
In a recent study in the
American Journal of Preventative Medicine,
fish oil supplements were found to be effective
in preventing sudden cardiac death.
The study measured the possible outcomes of
using three variables with live-saving potential
in a simulated town of 100,000 subjects aged
between 30 - 84: (1) portable defibrillators
(AED’s), devices used to shock the heart during
cardiac arrest, placed in every home and public
area in a medium-sized town, (2) the implantation
of cardioverter defibrillators (ICD’s) in
candidates exhibiting symptoms necessitating
such a procedure (about half of those who
die from cardiac arrest have no symptoms prior
to the event), and (3) the preventative use
of fish oil dietary supplements.
The use of fish oil supplements to boost levels
of Omega-3 fatty acids in the adult population
resulted in a 6.4% reduction in death – 58
lives per year. In fact, the preventative
use of supplements proved eight times more
effective than distributing AED’s and two
times more effective than the surgically placed
ICD’s.
Although the study was computer-simulated
(thereby avoiding the prohibitive costs associated
with providing and implanting the two electronic
devices used as variables), it utilized data
from two previously conducted, large-scale
studies of actual participants.
The study clearly suggests that by supplementing
diets with Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil,
those who appear healthy, but are at-risk
for future cardiac arrhythmias or cardiac
arrest, have a better chance for survival
than those who do not.
“Preventing
Sudden Death with n-3 (Omega-3) Fatty Acids
and Defibrillators.” American Journal of Preventive
Medicine. 2006 Oct;31(4):316. |
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| The Omega-3
Index and Coronary Heart Disease |
Low levels of Omega-3’s
are implicated in numerous illnesses and are
considered a significant risk factor for coronary
heart disease. A study appearing in Preventive
Medicine builds upon the broad base of studies
supporting the benefit of dietary fish oil
supplementation.
Researchers used clinical and laboratory experiments
to measure of the composition of fatty acids
in red blood cells to determine the Omega-3
Index, an associated risk factor index for
illnesses associated with coronary heart disease.
An index measure of 8% or greater is associated
with better heart outcomes, while a risk index
of 4% or less seems to indicate susceptibility
to heart illnesses. Those who consume fish
and fish oil supplements are able to raise
their index, decreasing the likelihood of
negative cardiac events.
This new risk index appears to be a useful
predictor of future heart problems – especially
for sudden cardiac death – and one that could
be used easily by medical practitioners with
significant usefulness.
“The Omega-3
Index: a new risk factor for death from coronary
heart disease?“ Preventative Medicine. 2004
Jul;39(1):212-20. |
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| *These statements have not
been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This
product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent
any disease. |
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