Fish oil can help reduce deaths from heart disease, according to
new reports released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality. Their reviews of the available literature found evidence
that omega-3 fatty acids, the beneficial component ingested by
eating fish or taking a fish oil supplement, reduce heart attack
and other problems related to heart and blood vessel disease in
those who already have these conditions. Their overall risk of
death was also reduced. Omega-3 fatty acids can reduce levels of
triglycerides, a fat in the blood that may contribute to heart
disease.
The review also found other evidence that fish oil may lower high
blood pressure slightly, reduce risk of coronary artery
re-blockage after angioplasty, increase exercise capability among
patients with clogged arteries, and possibly reduce the risk of
irregular heart beats, especially in individuals with a recent
heart attack.
But why not just eat fish instead of taking fish oil? The problem
is that many fish such as tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel
and farm-raised salmon contain significant levels of PCBs,
dioxin, pesticides, mercury, or other pollutants. All fish have
some traces of contaminants. At any level, these pollutants are
not good for your health. Moreover, when oil is extracted from
contaminated fish, the contaminants stay in the oil. Therefore it
is important that you only purchase oil that has been proven by
lab testing to be cleansed of contaminants. We stock a fish oil
that is certified to be free of contaminants.
We have a more detailed discussion of fish oil at:
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Summaries of
evidence reviews are available on AHRQ’s Web site at http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcindex.htm#dietsup
