Connection #8

Fish Oil and Heart Disease

For a long time, European doctors have been dispensing purified fish oil, or omega 3 fatty acids, to patients who have suffered a heart attack. Studies have shown that fish oil and omega 3 fatty acids improve survival rates and reduce fatal heart rhythms. "The U.S. has recognized the benefits of fish oil, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been slow to approve fish oil for use in heart attack patients; the drugs were approved to treat high triglycerides, but not specifically for the treatment of heart attack patients. Instead, many Americans are given more expensive and sometimes invasive treatments, which may range from pills that lower cholesterol to implantable defibrillators that can restart the heart." For a while, many in the medical community worried that because fish oil is seen as a “natural supplement” in the U.S., doctors would ignore the fact that it is also very powerful medicine. But these days, many doctors do prescribe drugs, brand names of the omega-3’s, to their patients. The fish oil can help lower triglycerides (blood fat) and boost “good” cholesterol (HDL), which means patients can increase their chances of survival and hopefully avoid a second heart attack.