Fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids)
If there's one supplement that you absolutely require to gain control of plaque, it's fish oil.
The benefits of fish oil are broad and powerful. Much of fish oil's benefits derive from its ability to reduce triglycerides up to 50%. This leads to production of less triglyceride-rich VLDL particles and small LDL particles. The 11,000 patient GISSI Prevenzione Study was the final nail in the coffin for naysayers, with fish oil dramatically reducing likelihood of death from heart attack by 45%.
[EDIT: I CHANGED THE DOSAGE TO DR DAVIS'S NEW STANDARDS]
A minimum dose of 9600 mg per day of a 30% preparation is required for our plaque-control purposes. ("30% preparation" means 360 mg of EPA and DHA in a 1200 mg of fish oil capsule.) This provides the minimum 3000 mg of omega-3's (4 x 300 mg) necessary for its powerful heart benefits. Some of the more concentrated preparations (often called "pharmaceutical grade") contain 50-85% omega-3's, and provide opportunity to take fewer capsules to obtain the same quantity of omega-3s. (Examine the product label to calculate the omega-3 content of EPA + DHA.) Avoid cod liver oil, as it is too dilute a preparation that contains unnecessary ingredients like saturated fats. You and your doctor may decide to use higher doses of fish oil as results are assessed.
Fish oil reduces several measures of inflammation, providing another potential means of heart attack reduction. Fish oil reduces the blood-clotting protein fibrinogen. Fish oil can also slash cancer risk by 30%, improve mood (it can actually be used to treat clinical depression), and even prevent Alzheimer's dementia.
Taking fish oil with meals and refrigerating the capsules can help minimize the fishy burp that some people experience. A rare person will have gastrointestinal intolerance to fish oil. Should this occur (as stomach upset, diarrhea, or excessive gas), discuss the continued use of your fish oil with your doctor, or consider a much smaller dose like 1000 mg per day and increase over a several month period. People with abnormal bleeding tendencies (von Willebrand's disease, sickle cell anemia, low platelet counts, etc.) or who take the blood thinner warfarin (Coumadin ) should discuss the use of fish oil with their doctor first, as fish oil does increase blood thinning modestly. Fish oil is safe when taken with aspirin or other anti-inflammatory medicines for arthritis and other indications, however. In the vast majority of people, the blood thinning effect of the omega-3 fatty acids is a benefit, not an undesired side-effect.
Unlike fish (both wild and farm-raised), fish oil is essentially free of contaminants like mercury and pesticides. In this regard, fish oil is the preferred means to obtain assured quantities of this fabulously beneficial supplement.
References:
Din JN, Newby DE, Flapan AD. Omega 3 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease--fishing for a natural treatment. BMJ. 2004 Jan 3;328(7430):30-5.
Harris WS. Are omega-3 fatty acids the most important nutritional modulators of coronary heart disease risk? Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2004 Nov;6(6):447-52.
Marchioli R, Schweiger C, Tavazzi L, Valagussa F. Efficacy of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids after myocardial infarction: results of GISSI-Prevenzione trial. Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto Miocardico. Lipids. 2001;36 Suppl:S119-26.
Ciubotaru I, Lee YS, Wander RC. Dietary fish oil decreases C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and triacylglycerol to HDL-cholesterol ratio in postmenopausal women on HRT. J Nutr Biochem. 2003 Sep;14(9):513-21.
Mori TA, Beilin LJ. Omega-3 fatty acids and inflammation. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2004 Nov;6(6):461-7.
Melanson SF, Lewandrowski EL, Flood JG, Lewandrowski KB.Measurement of organochlorines in commercial over-the-counter fish oil preparations: implications for dietary and therapeutic recommeArch Pathol Lab Med. 2005 Jan;129(1):74-7.ndations for omega-3 fatty acids and a review of the literature.
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