Research says fish oil can help health

Vaccination News Home Page                                            subscribe Vaccination NewsLetter

http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=28630&pt=n

FRIDAY 07/02/2003 07:57:55           

Research says fish oil can help health

Researchers have shown for the first time how taking fish oil can protect against heart attacks and strokes, it was revealed today.

 


 

  No related movie clips for this story.No related movie clips for this story. VIDEO See the commentsSee the comments COMMENTS This is not yet a hot topic item.This item is not yet a hot topic. HOT TOPIC No Related StoriesNo Related Stories RELATED STORIES
 
A team of British scientists studying patients with diseased arteries found that omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil appeared to fight inflammation in blood vessels.

Fish oil helped to stabilise the fatty deposits, or plaques, that built up in artery walls.

They were then less likely to rupture and break apart, thereby risking a blockage that could lead to a heart attack or stroke.

The scientists also suspect that fish oil helps prevent plaques building up in the first place, since this largely involves inflammation.

Its effect on inflammation would also account for the well known ability of omega-3 fatty acids to keep joints supple and alleviate arthritis.

Professor Philip Calder, who led the team from the University of Southampton, said the findings gave hope to hundreds of thousands of people who might be heading for premature death due to narrowed arteries.

``Increasing their intake of omega-3 fatty acids simply by eating more oily fish or taking fish oil capsules can reduce their risk of heart-related death,`` he said.

The study, reported in The Lancet medical journal, involved 162 patients who were due to undergo surgery for diseased arteries.

They were given either capsules of omega-3 fish oil, sunflower oil, or a supplement made from palm and soybean oil which was not expected to have any effect.

Examination of plaques taken from their arteries showed that those from the fish oil group contained raised levels of omega-3 fatty acids.

They also showed fewer signs of inflammation. The omega-3 plaques lacked the thin, fibrous ``caps`` which made them likely to rupture. There were also less of the immune system`s white blood cells present, another sign of inflammation.

Inflammation is essentially the body`s reaction to an injury as tissue becomes flooded with white blood cells and signalling chemicals.

Professor Calder acknowledged that the patients received a high dose of fish oil compared with the average amount consumed.

But he thought taking much lower amounts over longer periods could be equally beneficial.

``We gave them about 1.6 grams of omega-3 per day, which is 10 times more than people would normally have,`` he said.

``To achieve this level people would have to consume several oily fish meals a week or take quite a number of fish oil capsules per day.

``The level we`re talking about is quite high, but if people have a very long period of exposure to a lower dose it might have the same effect.``

Evidence for this could be seen in the results of numerous studies showing the health benefits of fish oil.

Professor Calder added: ``I have no hesitation in recommending that people increase their consumption of omega-3s, even if they are not ill, because they are protective.``

As well as helping to prevent disease, fish oil could also work as a treatment.

``I think there are many disease conditions where omega-3s could be used in a therapeutic way,`` he said.

Professor Sir Charles George, medical director of the British Heart Foundation, said: ``This study adds further weight to the existing evidence that fish oil help reduce the risk of arterial disease.

``It goes further than previous research by identifying a clear link between fish oils and the atheromatous plaque that causes stroke or coronary heart disease. The research shows that within a few weeks fish oils have a stabilising effect on the plaques (furring) in the arteries which may prevent them from rupturing - the process that leads to a heart attack or stroke.

``This research is important, and it reinforces advice to eat one portion of white fish and one portion of oily fish every week."

 

 

Vaccination News Home Page

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.