Omega3 and CoQ10

Friday, May 7, 2010

Omega-3 fatty acids cut fatal heart attacks, reduced pain, and improved heart and blood vessel function in those with very high cholesterol and heart failure. In an omega-3 study, researchers
recruited 18,645 Japanese participants who ate a large amount of fish but who were at risk for
heart disease because of very high cholesterol levels, over 252 mg/dL. Participants took 1,800 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) per day plus statin drugs, or a placebo with
statin drugs, for five years. After an average follow up period of 4.6 years, researchers found that, compared to placebo, those who had taken EPA were 19% less likely to have had a major coronary event including sudden cardiac death, fatal and non-fatal heart attack, unstable
chest pain (angina pectoris), and vascular surgery including angioplasty, bypass, or stent.
In another omega-3 study, researchers recruited 24 men and one woman, average age 60,
whose hearts were unable to fill with or pump enough blood (heart failure), and who
had had a heart attack. Participants were keeping the failure stable with drugs including
beta-blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and diuretics, and 23 of the 25 participants were also taking statin drugs. Researchers randomly assigned a 2,000 mg com-
bination of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) plus EPA—minimum 85% DHA/EPA content—or a placebo, for four months, and found that those who had taken omega-3s had significantly improved heart function (heart rate variability) and blood pressure (baroreceptor regulation),

Reference: The Lancet: 2007; Vol. 369, No. 9567,
1090-8.