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Heart DiseaseOmega-3 Fatty Acids

A pithy review of omega-3 fatty acids

JR

 Dr. Eric Chan and Dr. Leslie Cho from the Cleveland Clinic, in Ohio waste no words in an excellent review.

Here are some highlights
Benefits

  • High dietary intake of omega-3 is strongly linked to lower rates of cardiovascular disease in epidemiologic studies.

Response to treatment

  • Fish oil supplements lower triglyceride levels.
  • Starting at a triglyceride level of 816 mg/dL, 4 grams/day of omega-3 lowers triglyceride levels to 488 mg/dL, a 45% reduction.
    • Normal: less than 150 mg/dL
    • Borderline-high: 150–199 mg/dL
    • High: 200–499 mg/dL
    • Very high: 500 mg/dL
  • In addition, HDL (good) cholesterol levels increased 9%.
  • Omega-3 may also prevent arrhythmias, reduce inflammation, inhibit platelet aggregation, and lower blood pressure, all of which should reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Safety

  • Generally, omega-3 fatty acids are well tolerated.
  • Adverse effects are limited to gastrointestinal complaints (discomfort, upset stomach) and a fishy odor.
  • Common ways to prevent these effects are to freeze the capsules or take them at bedtime or with meals.
    • My recommendation is that if you experience a fishy odor, buy another brand of omega-3.
  • The risk of bleeding with omega-3 is minimal.

The bottom line?

According to the American Heart Association…

  • High dietary intake of omega-3 is strongly linked to lower rates of cardiovascular disease in epidemiologic studies.

Response to treatment

  • Fish oil supplements lower triglyceride levels.
  • Starting at a triglyceride level of 816 mg/dL, 4 grams/day of omega-3 lowers triglyceride levels to 488 mg/dL, a 45% reduction.
  • In addition, HDL (good) cholesterol levels increased by 9%.
  • They may also prevent arrhythmias, reduce inflammation (although they have minimal impact on C-reactive protein), inhibit platelet aggregation, and lower blood pressure, all of which should reduce cardiovascular risk.

Safety

  • Generally, omega-3 fatty acids are well tolerated.
  • Adverse effects are limited to gastrointestinal complaints (discomfort, upset stomach) and a fishy odor.
  • Common ways to prevent these effects are to freeze the capsules or take them at bedtime or with meals.
  • My recommendation is that if you experience a fishy odor, buy another brand of omega-3.
  • The risk of bleeding with omega-3 is minimal.

The bottom line?

  • Healthy people should consume fish (preferably oily fish) at least twice a week.
  • People with known coronary artery disease should take 1 gram of omega-3 per day

4/13/09 21:17 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

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