Supplement of fish oil reduces risk of heart attack and stroke

Previous studies suggested that fish oil supplements could reduce the likelihood of a second heart attack or stroke in patients who have recently had heart trouble. New research has shown that this nutritional supplement can also decrease the chance of sudden death.

The results of the study show that the risk reduction was evident after three months. This fact seems to reinforce the hypothesis that adding polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 (known by its acronym in English PUFAs, polyunsaturated fatty acids) - usually found in fish and fish oil - a healthy diet can lower the possibility of fatal arrhythmia, irregular heart rate that, in severe cases can lead to cardiac arrest, according to the authors of the study.

"The reduction of sudden death appeared soon after initiation of treatment," said Roberto Marchioli, chief of staff of the Consorzio Mario Negri Sud, Italy, told Reuters Health. "This seems to reinforce the idea that the benefits of PUFAs could be due to an antiarrhythmic effect."

The study included 11 300 patients who had suffered a heart attack within the previous three months. All volunteers received the same preventive care and have a diet that follows the Mediterranean style - that is, rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil and fish. Some people also consumed daily supplements of 1 gram of fish oil.

During the monitoring period, which lasted 3.5 years, 1031 participants died the team of Marchioli in the April issue of Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Association.

After only three months of treatment, patients who used supplements of fish oil appeared to have a 41% lower risk of dying from any cause, it said. Four months after initiation of therapy, these volunteers also showed to have significantly reduced chance of suffering sudden cardiac death.

At the end of the study period, patients treated with fish oil supplements had 45% less likely to have sudden death from causes related to heart, the scientists said. Based on these results, Marchioli says that the benefits of fish oil supplements "seem to be added to the benefits that can be obtained by standard preventive treatment."

"The use of a daily capsule of fish oil concentrate over 3.5 years resulted in a significant reduction of sudden cardiac death. Therefore, a simple and secure change in diet can produce a great benefit in terms of public health”, said the columnist Alexander Leaf, Harvard Medical School, Boston (Massachusetts), told Reuters Health.

"People with coronary heart disease or family history of the disorder among close relatives should be cautious and observe the advice of the recent American Heart Association to eat fatty fish two or more times per week or daily use of a supplement capsules of fish oil”, Leaf said.