There is now a breakthrough treatment available for those suffering from Chronic Heart Failure, and no, it doesn’t come from a drug company.
A Germany study published Lancet journal found omega-3 fish oil to be more effective than cholesterol medications for this condition for which there are very few options for treatment.
Details from the study:
Italian researchers gave nearly 3,500 patients a daily omega-3 pill, a prescription-formulation pill derived from fish oils, produced by Norway’s Pronova BioPharma.
Roughly the same number of patients were given placebo pills. Patients were followed for an average of four years.
In the group of patients taking the fish oil pills, 1,981 died of heart failure or were admitted to the hospital with the problem. In the patients on placebo pills, 2,053 died or were admitted to the hospital for heart failure.
In a parallel study, the same team of Italian doctors gave 2,285 patients the drug rosuvastatin, also known as Crestor, and gave placebo pills to 2,289 people. Patients were then tracked for about four years. The doctors found little difference in heart failure rates between the two groups.
The researchers concluded that omega-3 was more effective than cholesterol meds for heart failure.
How’s that for a provocative headline?
I agree that omega-3s are a good idea to have in your diet. I eat plenty of fish and use a margarine that has a much better balance of omega-3s vs. omega-6s.
Such a diet probably has benefits for cardiovascular health and cancer resistance. I will be posting a book review later today about the latter, but it is already available on my Science Shelf web site. That review also addresses the importance of not using alternatives therapies as a substitute for proven medical treatments. They may complement standard care, but they should never replace it.
That explains why something is very fishy about this article.
Responsible clinical trials never ask patients to stop (or not to start) taking medicines that are known to reduce cholesterol when there is a 50-50 chance they will be put on a placebo.
Furthermore, this is a test of only one new statin drug (Crestor), where Zocor and Lipitor have been shown not only to reduce cholesterol but also the risk of heart attack and stroke.
So we need clarification, at least, about what this article seems to be advising.
Fred Bortz — Science and technology books for young readers (www.fredbortz.com) and Science book reviews (www.scienceshelf.com)
I agree that Omega 3fish oil is suggested for CHD patients.They are recommended to take Omega 3 fatty acids to 1g per day.I have been taking fish oil supplement(neurovi.com) from past few years.These supplements significantly helps me in many ways.