The following article comes from the American College of Physicians. The bottom line is that omega 3 fish oil protects against heart disease so well that even the American Heart Association endorses the recommendation. Statistically, 90% of Americans are deficient in omega 3 oils.
–Dave Ou, M.D.
Evidence extends recommendations for fish oil’s cardioprotective effect
Healthy individuals should consume 500 mg daily of omega-3 fish oil, and people with known heart disease or heart failure should aim for at least 800 to 1,000 mg daily, according to an evidence review. This extends recommendations for fish oil from healthy individuals to patients with existing heart disease, in whom fish oil has also been shown to reduce the incidence of cardiac events and mortality.
Current American Heart Association recommendations for those without coronary heart disease are two oily fish meals per week, equal to about 500 mg daily of combined docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This level of intake has been associated with the lowest risk for coronary heart disease death in several U.S. prospective cohort studies. Now, recommendations for patients with documented coronary heart disease are 1 g per day of combined EPA and DHA, either from fish or supplements. Options include herring, mackerel, salmon, albacore tuna, sardines and oysters, or fish oil supplements or cod liver oil.
Authors reported in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology that omega-3s appear to convey up to a 30% reduction in cardiovascular-related death in patients who have established cardiovascular disease or who have had a myocardial infarction. Omega-3s may decrease the risk of atherosclerosis, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death and even heart failure. In addition, there is a 9% benefit in reducing heart failure death, which translates to treating 56 patients for four years to prevent one death.
The authors added that more research is now needed to optimize dosing and the ratio of DHA to EPA for heart failure, atrial fibrillation, cardiovascular protection, maximally treated contemporary post-MI patients or others with relatively low-risk coronary heart disease.
