You need fish oil!
The evidence is
overwhelming that omega-3 fatty acids or, more specifically,
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), the
main components of fish oils, are highly effective in preventing
sudden cardiac death, death from heart disease, and certain
arrhythmias.
Fish Oil Study
In a well-designed study, German researchers found that fish oils
slowed the buildup of plaque in artery walls of patients with heart
disease. Results were published in the April 6, 1999 issue of the
prestigious Annals of Internal Medicine.
How It Was Done
Investigators from the University of Munich recruited 253 patients
whose clogged arteries had been confirmed by an angiogram (an X ray of
blood vessels). For two years, half of the participants were given a
daily fish oil supplement containing an average of 1.5 grams of
omega-3 fatty acids. The other half received a placebo. To avoid bias,
assignments were made randomly and neither the investigators nor the
participants knew who had been assigned to which treatment group.
Over the course of the study, researchers saw each of the subjects five times to measure their cholesterol and triglycerides levels, and their blood pressure. At the last visit, the angiogram was repeated and viewed by an expert panel. Any change in the diameter of blood vessels was measured and recorded.
Why It's Important
For those with heart disease, omega-3-rich fish oil supplements appear
to slow the progression of the disease and produce a regression in the
amount of plaque in artery walls.
Results were modest but notable. Of 80 placebo subjects, 36 showed mild progression, five had moderate progression and seven experienced mild regression. Of the 82 subjects for which data were available, only 35 had mild progression, four showed moderate progression, 14 had mild regression and two experienced moderate regression.
These developments are important because less progression and more regression of plaque in artery walls may contribute to heart attacks that are less severe or deadly.
Additional Findings
The investigators are not sure what accounts for the effectiveness of
omega-3 fatty acids for heart disease sufferers. Interestingly, the
current findings indicate that the improvement in blood vessel health
wasn't due to a reduction in harmful LDL cholesterol levels, as other
research has implied. In fact, LDL levels tended to be higher in the
fish oil group.
Instead, the researchers point to possible association between fish oils and a reduction in compounds called growth factors believed to play a role in clogging arteries.
Older people who ate fish once or twice a week had a 20 percent lower risk of developing congestive heart failure during 12 years of follow-up, according to a new study (PDF) in the June 21, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Be sure to choose pharmaceutical
grade fish oil.
It's
important to get your fish oil from a source that has been molecularly
distilled to remove dangerous heavy metals and contaminants. I
personally reject the idea of consuming a dose of toxic waste
materials that an environmental polluter dumps into the ocean.
Several studies have shown that people with a high consumption of certain fish have higher mercury levels in their blood and toenails. The lesson here is that the safest way to obtain a high intake of EPA and DHA is through the consumption of a high quality, molecular distilled fish oil supplement.
For this reason, Bernie and I use and recommend the Ultimate Omega Complex by Vital Life Nutritionals. The oil comes from fish harvested off the cold clean waters of Northern Norway and processed in a GMP pharmaceutical facility. Borage and flax seed oils are organic and cold pressed.
I'm convinced that Ultimate Omega is the best omega 3 fish oil complex on the market. Click here to check out this excellent omega 3 fish oil complex.
