Heartbeat, fish oil and your diet

Fish oil supplements taken daily may reduce deaths and hospitalizations due to heart failure, according to a study published in the medical journal, The Lancet.

In contrast, a popular cholesterol-reducing statin drug, known as rosuvastatin (or under the brand name Crestor) did not appear to help as much, in a parallel heart failure study conducted by the same team of researchers.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) derived from fish oils in salmon and tuna species have long been known to be beneficial to health, particularly on the heart and brain. Fish oils appear to increase levels of good cholesterol and moderate the electrical system in the heart, thus helping to prevent irregular heartbeat rhythms.

But studies on the subject have been limited to observational studies without any direct comparison to placebo.

The current study, conducted by a consortium of doctors based in 357 cardiology centers, covered more than 7,000 people who had previously received diagnoses of heart failure. Heart failure is a chronic, progressive heart disease where the organ becomes enlarged and eventually unable to pump blood.

Half of the group took a daily capsule of prescription-grade omega-3 PUFA. The other half took placebo. The trials were conducted as “double blind” tests, where neither the patient nor the doctor knew who was getting the capsule with omega-3 or the placebo.

Scientists believe results from placebo-controlled tests are more reliable, especially if they are also double-blind trials.

The results showed that those in the PUFA group had a death rate of 27 percent, while those in the placebo group had 29 percent.

This difference may not look like much but in fact it is a significant development, according to a professor of medicine and epidemiology. Few treatments in the field of medicine are able to impact on the total mortality among patients. Only a handful of treatments are able to do that. Hence, an apparently small improvement, percentage-wise, can have a very important impact.

But it is important to remember that the patients in the trial used a prescription formulation. The positive results do not imply that those with heart failure can now take fish oil supplements on their own, says a professor of cardiovascular medicine who penned the editorial on the report.

Patients must talk with their physician if they wish to modify their diet (by eating more fish, particularly salmon and tuna) or take fish oil supplements.

In a parallel study, the researchers took another group of over 4,500 people diagnosed with heart failure. Half of the group took the statin drug, and the other half had placebo. The death rate reached 29 percent in the statin group and only 28 percent in the placebo group.

Safety Tip:

* Consult your doctor how you can use fish oils. You can ward off heart failure by doing something about your diet.