An Italian study has revealed that that the supplemental fish oil
may reduce the risk of sudden death from heartbeat irregularities
(cardiac arrhythmia).

The study included 11,323 patients who had suffered a heart
attack within the previous 3 months. All of the patients received
the same preventive care and ate Mediterranean-style diets rich
in fruits, vegetables, olive oil and fish. But some patients also
consumed 1 gram of the fish oil supplements per day.

“Reduction of sudden death appeared early after start of
treatment….This seems to support the idea that (the
benefits of fish oil) could be due to its anti-arryhythmia
effect,” the lead researcher said. Patients who took the fish oil
supplements appeared to be at a 41% lower risk of death from any
cause after only 3 months of treatment with fish oil.

After 4 months of treatment, these patients also appeared to be
at a significantly reduced risk of sudden cardiac death. And by
the end of the 3.5 year study period, patients treated with fish
oil supplements were 45% less likely to die suddenly from any
heart-related cause.

“One capsule of a fish oil concentrate daily for 3.5 years
resulted in a very significant reduction in sudden cardiac death.
Thus, a simple and safe change in diet can potentially produce a
large public health benefit,” said Dr. Alexander Leaf of Harvard
Medical School, who commented on the study.

“Individuals who have known coronary heart disease or a family
history of coronary heart disease among immediate relatives would
be prudent to heed the recent advice of the American Heart
Association to eat two or more meals of oily fish per week or
take a daily supplement of fish oil capsules,” Leaf said.

You can obtain the highest quality fish oil capsules from our online store.

Source: Marchioli R et al, Early protection against sudden death
by n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids after myocardial infarction:
time-course analysis of the results of the Gruppo Italiano per lo
Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto Miocardico
(GISSI)-Prevenzione, Circulation. 2002 Apr 23;105(16):1897-903