Fish oil benefits limited in some cases (From Mind Your Body dated 2010-09-02)

The following article is from Mind Your Body of the Straits Times dated 2 September 2010
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In a study of almost 5,000 heart attack survivors, it was found that eating more omega-3 fats provided no additional benefit to those who were already getting good care, Dutch researchers found.

After nearly 31/2 years, there was no difference in deaths, heart attacks and other heart problems between those who ate margarine with added omega-3 fatty acids and those who did not, the study found.

The results do not mean that getting more of the essential nutrient has no value.

Several studies have offered evidence that the fats - mostly from fish oil - reduce heart disease.
However, for heart patients who are carefully treated, adding a little bit of omega-3 fatty acid does not seem to make a difference, said Alice Lichtenstein, a Tufts University nutrition professor who was not involved in the research.

The study's participants were taking the best medicines to prevent future heart trouble and that could be why adding a low-dose of omega-3 fatty acids offered no extra protection, the researchers said. They were also older and entered the study years after their heart attacks, in contrast to heart patients in earlier research who did benefit by taking fish oil pills.

The findings were presented last week at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, and published online by the New England Journal Of Medicine.

Diets rich in omega-3 fats have long been considered healthy for everyone from growing children to heart patients.

There are two kinds of omega-3 fats which come from wild oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. A third type comes from plants and sources include walnuts, flaxseed, soya beans and canola oil.

Omega-3 fatty acids are thought to help reduce the risk of abnormal heartbeats, slow the growth of plaque that can clog arteries and lower harmful fats called triglycerides. In recent years, omega-3 has been added to some foods like margarine and eggs.

AP