Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Fish oil supplements plus statins protect against heart disease

Exert from:

Meeting Report
11/14/2005
American Heart Association Scientific Sessions late-breaking news:

DALLAS, Nov. 14 – Cholesterol-lowering drugs, combined with a fatty acid found in fish, packs a one-two punch against heart attack, angina and other coronary events, according to a study presented at a late-breaking clinical trials session at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005.

“These results appear to justify the use of fish oil/omega-3 fatty acids since they can add to the beneficial effects of statins,” said lead author Mitsuhiro Yokoyama, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the division of cardiovascular and respiratory medicine at Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine in Kobe, Japan.

He presented the results of Effects of Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA) on Major Cardiovascular Events in Hypercholesterolemic Patients: The Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study (JELIS). It’s the first large-scale, prospective, randomized trial that combines statins and omega-3 fatty acid therapy. EPA is one of the major omega-3 fatty acids in fish.

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