Omega-3 fish oil benefits heart patients — study

Omega-3 fatty acids contained in fish oil showed the most favorable benefit among anti-cholesterol drugs in reducing overall deaths and heart-related deaths, according to a well-designed study published in the prestigious Archives of Internal Medicine recently.

In the meta-analysis study, omega-3 supplementation significantly reduced overall deaths by 23 percent and heart-related deaths by 32 percent.

Statins, another popularly used anti-cholesterol drug, reduced overall deaths by 13 percent and heart-related deaths by 22 percent.

The other classes of drugs, including fibrates, resins and niacin, did not show any significant benefit on reducing the risk of deaths on the long term.

This study is the strongest data so far for the use of omega-3 fish oil supplementation.

It is expected to change the treatment outlook of physicians in the management of patients at risk of developing heart attacks, strokes and other complications of the atherosclerotic narrowing of the blood vessels, which is now the leading cause of deaths in the Philippines and worldwide.

This high-risk group includes patients who suffer from diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and obesity, and are smokers. Patients who have the dreaded metabolic syndrome may also benefit from omega-3 fish oil supplementation.

The meta-analysis was conducted by a team of independent experts, headed by Dr. Marco Studer and Dr. Matthias Briel of the Institute for Clinical Epidemiology in Basel, Switzerland and the Department of Internal Medicine of the University Hospital of Basel.

No pharmaceutical company funded the study.

Considered one of the most extensive meta-analysis conducted on anti-cholesterol drugs, the study included all well designed randomized controlled trials published between 1965 and June 2003 that compared lipid-lowering agents or dietary interventions with placebo pills or usual care of treatment.

The trials all had a follow-up period of at least six months and included mortality data. Of 10,977 clinical trials screened, only 97 passed the stringent criteria of the authors.

The included trials involved a total of 137,140 individuals allocated to various anti-cholesterol treatments and 138,976 individuals in the control group.

The highly significant benefit noted with omega-3 could not be attributed to its cholesterol-lowering effect since it only reduced cholesterol levels modestly compared to the other drugs.

"(Omega) n-3 fatty acids lowered total cholesterol level to a very small extent, which indicates that beneficial effects must be mediated by other means," the authors wrote.

Citing published data, the authors attributed it more to the beneficial effects of omega-3 in preventing fatal irregularity in the heartbeat (anti-arrhythmic effect), preventing blood clots (anti-thrombotic effect) and preserving the integrity of the endothelial lining of the blood vessels (endothelial anti-inflammatory effect).

Omega-3 was also noted to reduce effectively levels of blood triglyceride, which is another form of lipid or fat in the blood.

"If used in appropriate doses, (omega) n-3 fatty acids are as effective as fibrates to reduce triglyceride levels but are associated with a reduction in overall mortality," the authors said.

Based on this study, only omega-3 fish oil and statins offered significant benefits to patients in reducing the risk of deaths with prolonged intake.

The authors recommended that future trials explore if omega-3, in combination with statins, would lead to additional reduction in heart-disease mortality, especially in patients with metabolic syndrome.

Omegabloc is one of the leading brands of omega-3 available as an over-the-counter product at Mercury, Watsons and other leading drugstores nationwide. Manufactured by NOW Corp. in the United States, it is distributed locally by Trianon Inc.

Two to three softgels of Omegabloc are recommended to be taken daily with food. Trianon welcomes provincial distributors, and interested parties may contact Francis Melegrito, national sales manager, at 892-0723, 892-0724, 813-5433 or 813-5436, or e-mail at [email protected].