Originally published September 29 2005
Scientific backing makes fish oil supplements a favorite for patients and doctors
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Fish oil supplements are gaining popularity among both doctors and patients, as increasing scientific evidence shows the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oils can reduce the risk of heart attack by preventing blood clots and abnormal heart rhythms.
Studies show that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil can reduce heart-attack risk by preventing blood clots and abnormal heart rhythms, which cause sudden death.
Sales of fish oil supplements in the United States have climbed accordingly, from $35 million in 1995 to an estimated $310 million this year, according to the Nutrition Business Journal, which tracks the dietary supplement industry.
The Inuit diet was replete with fish containing omega-3s.
Since then, the benefits of omega-3s have been studied for their role in stabilizing heart-muscle cells, thus reducing the likelihood of arrhythmia; in fighting inflammation, and making arteries more elastic.
A small study reported in the June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, however, raised questions about fish oil's ability to prevent irregular heart rhythms in certain high-risk patients.
Fatty fish such as salmon, albacore tuna, bluefish, mackerel, lake trout, herring and sardines are especially good sources for the omega-3s: EPA, or eicosapentaenoic acid, and DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid.
Fish oil has been shown to improve cholesterol, lowering the "bad" and raising the "good," possibly thinning the blood and reducing blood pressure.
High cholesterol and blood pressure are key risk factors for atherosclerosis, or clogged arteries, which is the major cause of heart disease.
Some fish have unsafe levels of mercury, PCBs or dioxins.
And two independent organizations - ConsumerLab.com and Consumer Reports - tested more than 57 fish oil products in 2003 and 2004 and found that all but two were fresh and contained roughly their claimed amounts of omega-3s.
This kind of information wasn't available 20 years ago, when Michael S. Vogel first tried fish oil.
In April, under the supervision of Rader, Vogel again began taking fish oil capsules, along with prescription statin medications, to help control his cholesterol.
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