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Fish Oil Fights Heart Disease
Fish Oil Prevents Heart Disease
Several clinical studies support the ability of fish oil supplementation to prevent heart attack along with a number of other coronary problems in both healthy subjects as well as in patients having suffered from some form or heart disease. Considering that heart attacks account for somewhere around 300,000 deaths ever year alone in the United States, it is quite significant that a diet rich in fish oil may reduce the incidence of heart attack by up to 45%. Additionally, the consumption of oily fish or fish oil supplement may reduce the onset and development of a myriad of potentially deadly heart conditions.
In a recent article by the Universites of Cheiti and Pisa the following finding were published:
- Fish oil supplementation can show beneficial effects within a few weeks.
- It is unlikely that the effects of fish oils would vary depending on source (oily fish or fish oil supplement).
- Studies using animals have shown that fish oil acts on heart cells to inhibit the excitatory Na+ current, stabalized the inactivated state of the Na channel, and prolonged the effective refractory period of the cardiac cycle. The L-type Ca++ current is also inhibited by fish oils and the outward flow of K+ is reduced. All effects which would reduce the tendency to arrhythmia either by decreasing automaticity or by interfering with re-entry circuits.
- Trials have shown a reduction in PVCs (premature ventricular complexes) with fish oil supplementation. In one of these trials 34 participants with frequent PVCs, but no life-threatening arrhythmias were given 2.4 grams/day of fish oils while the control group was given sunflower seed oil which is rich in linoleic acid (an omega-6 fatty acid). PVCs decreased by 48% in the fish oil group as compared to 25% in the sunflower seed group.
- Fish oils have been shown to decrease heart rate variability and there is some suggestion that they may also reduce sympathetic and increase parasympathetic (vagal) activity in the autonomic nervous system.
Prostaglandins and thromboxane A2, produced from arachidonic acid, are mostly proarrhythmic so a high intake of omega-6 fatty acids may be detrimental.
- Although most research, so far, has focused on the effect of fish oil on life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias it is likely than many of the findings may also be applicable to atrial fibrillation.
Perhaps the most important effect of fish oil, when it comes to preventing heart disease, is its ability to stabilize atherosclerotic plaque by reducing the infiltration of inflammatory and immune cells (lymphocytes and macrophages) into the plaque. Heart attacks are now believed to involve the rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque. These plaques come in two main varieties, those with a thin, unstable fibrous cap and those with a thick, stable fibrous cap. A recent study showed that supplementation with fish oil on a daily basis can significantly reduced macrophage infiltration and resulted in a substantial shift towards a preponderance of stable, thick-capped plaques whereby reducing the risk of heart attack in the near or distant future.
Are you thinking about purchasing Fish Oil? Check out our Guide for buying Fish Oils before you do!
A number of references in this text were taken from the following sources:
De Caterina, Raffaele, et al. Antiarrhythmic effects of omega-3 fatty acids: from epidemiology to bedside. American Heart Journal, Vol. 146, September 2003, pp. 420-30
De Caterina, Raffaele, et al. Antiarrhythmic effects of omega-3 fatty acids: from epidemiology to bedside. American Heart Journal, Vol. 146, September 2003, pp. 420-30
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"After one month of taking fish oil, my husband starting noticing positive changes in the texture of his hair, and his blood sugar levels were dramatically stabilizing, as he is a type 1 diabetic (for the past 27 years)."