Omega 3 Fish Oil

Omega-3 fish oil, cholesterol, and mortality:

In a randomized controlled trial called the GISSI-Prevenzione trial done in Italy, 11,324 patients with pre-existing coronary heart disease (CHD) were randomly allocated to either 300 mg vitamin E, 850 mg omega-3 fatty acid ethyl esters (eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]), both, or no treatment and followed for 3.5 years noted the following results (1):

• 15% reduction in mortality, nonfatal myocardial infarction, and nonfatal stroke was seen in participants taking 850 mg omega-3 fatty acid alone.
• Participants taking omega-3 fatty acid after 6-months experienced a 2.5% increase in HDL cholesterol and a 4% reduction in triglycerides.
• 20% reduction in all-cause mortality and a 45% reduction in sudden death.

A review of 14 randomized clinical trials reported that fish oil is associated with a reduction in total mortality and sudden death, but not nonfatal heart attacks (2).