Fish Oil

Myocardial infarction is a technical term used to describe an irreversible injury to heart muscle. It is normally used as a synonym for a heart attack and will be so used in this essay. Myocardial infarction is normally related to progressive atherosclerosis (blockage of the arteries.) Essentially the heart is slowly starved of oxygen and stops functioning properly causing irreparable damage and even death.

It is no surprise that much of the developed world suffers from heart disease because of diet and other lifestyle habits. In the United States heart disease remains the number one killer among adults and demonstrates similar statistics in many other modern countries. The surprise comes in knowing that the majority of heart disease is avoidable yet educated people continue to ignore the dangers and promote lifestyles conducive to cardiac damage. Though many factors contribute to heart disease the current essay will focus on one, in two parts. First we will consider the relation of fish consumption and myocardial infarction. Secondly we will consider the effects of dietary supplementation with omega-3 and vitamin E for those who had previously survived a heart attack.

Fish consumption and heart disease has been a topic of innumerable studies. One research project combined data taken from several such studies including the Chicago Western Electric Study, the Zutphen, Rotterdam and Swedish studies and the Study of U.S. Physicians among others. The goal of this research was to examine the relationship between fish consumption and the 30-year risk of death from coronary disease.

The participants of the study included 1,822 men between the ages of forty and fifty-five who were free of cardiovascular disease. For the first ten years annual examinations were given and mailed questionnaires and/or telephone interviews were used for the next fifteen years. Death certificates were used to classify cause of death for each patient.

During the 30-years follow up there were a total of 430 deaths from cardiovascular disease with 293 due to myocardial infarctions. Of the latter 196 were sudden, 94 were non-sudden and the remaining three could not be classified as either. Almost all of the sudden deaths were caused by myocardial infarction.

Detailed dietary history was kept on each participant with daily fish consumption as the primary focus. Each participant was categorized into one of four groups. The first group reportedly consumed no fish. The second group consumed between one and seventeen grams of fish per day. The third and fourth groups measured consumption as eighteen to thirty-four grams per day and greater than thirty-four grams per day respectively.

Predictably the results demonstrated an inverse relationship between fish consumption and the occurrence of myocardial infarction. In particular the participants who ate at least 35 grams of fish per day had a 42% lower death rate from heart attack compared to those who ate no fish at all.

The findings of these combined studies were consistent with other data concluding that diets high in fish demonstrate a reduced occurrence of death from coronary heart disease. This is especially true in relation to deaths that are of a non-sudden nature. That is not to conclude, however, that fish consumption does not inversely affect the risk of sudden cardiac death. Other studies have verified that such a relationship exists. Those studies are, however, beyond the scope of this essay.

But why does fish consumption improve heart health? It could just be the fact that people who eat fish eat less of other harmful foods. To focus a little more closely on the beneficial causes of fish consumption it is important to consider at least one study that isolated omega-3 intake via dietary supplements regardless of diet. The interesting thing about this study is that it was concerned with the effects of omega-3 and vitamin E supplementation on patients who had already experienced a heart attack.

The GISSI-Prevenzione trial, as it is known, hoped to establish any relationship that might exist between omega-3 and vitamin E as combined agents in the fight against heart disease. It was a randomized trial involving 11,234 patients who had survived a heart attack within the previous three months at the time the study began. The participants were divided into four groups. Group one received one gram of omega-3 supplements daily. Group two received 300mg of vitamin E every day. Group three received both while the control group received neither. Each participant received clinical examinations with blood samples taken and were asked to fill out diet questionnaires at the outset of the experiment and at six, twelve, eighteen, thirty and forty-two months.

The data were analyzed using two methods. A two-way analysis was made comparing omega-3 supplementing and no omega-3, as well as vitamin E intake compared to no vitamin E. A four-way analysis was also conducted comparing the combination of omega-3 and vitamin E with omega-3 alone and vitamin E alone. The effects of the combined supplements were also compared with the group that took no supplements.

The results of the test demonstrated a 14% decrease in death from any cause for the two-way analysis and a 20% drop in death rate for the four-way analysis. Concerning only death due to cardiovascular disease, the two-way analysis showed a 17% reduction of risk while the four-way analysis revealed a 30% decrease. Though vitamin E is known to be a powerful antioxidant, the group that supplemented with the combination of omega-3 and vitamin E showed no life-expectancy advantage over the group that supplemented with only the omega-3.

The overall conclusion of the GISSI-Prevenzione trial was that supplementing with omega-3 provided long term benefits in lowering risk of death for patients who had experienced a myocardial infarction.

Greg holds degrees in science, divinity and philosophy and is currently an I.T. developer.

http://www.optimal-heart-health.com/fishoils.html

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I must confess that I am a Steve Martin fan. Like me he studied philosophy in his earlier days. He plays a banjo like I wish I could. And he is funny. In 1987 he was in a movie entitled “Roxanne”. He played a small town fire chief with an enormous nose who fell in love with a beautiful astronomer played by Daryl Hannah. The only problem was she had an eye for a younger fireman with a relatively normal nose. C.D. Bales (Steve Martin), having a poetic command of the English language, agreed to coach the younger and much more awkward man in his pursuit of the educated astronomer. It is a hilarious twist on an old story. In one of the more sober scenes C.D.’s friend Trixie encourages him to pursue the young maiden for himself since he was obviously in love with her. She makes her point by saying the truth “is as plain as the nose on your face.” Well said.

Many people today are concerned about their triglyceride levels. And rightly so. High triglycerides have been marked as an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). But in all the scramble to reduce our triglycerides many doctors have been trying to tell us that the truth is as plain as the nose on our collective face.

Triglycerides are a form of fat. In fact they are the most prevalent form of fat in our bodies. Our bodies make triglycerides and we consume them in our diets. Even though we live in culture where ‘thin is in’, fat is a good thing. Triglycerides in particular are good because they are the form of fat our bodies use for energy. But like many things more is not necessarily better. Triglycerides truly represent an example of the maxim, ‘too much of a good thing’. In this case too much can contribute to serious health side effects especially in relation to heart health. So if your triglycerides are too high get them down.

But how? How do we get them down? To answer this question it is first helpful to understand what causes our triglycerides to rise. There are several causes which we will only mention in passing because they do not compose the main subject of this essay. There are certain medical conditions that elevate triglyceride levels such as hypothyroidism, kidney disease, liver disease, familial hypertriglyceridemia and pregnancy. And of course medical conditions are often accompanied by medications that negatively impact triglycerides. Among these are oral contraceptives, estrogen replacement therapy, certain steroids, diuretics, beta-blockers, newer classes of antipsychotic medications, cyclosporine, glucocorticoids, progesterone, retinoids and tamoxifen to mention a handful.

The above mentioned factors can contribute to a rise in serum triglycerides. But they are by no means the most common. For most of us our problems lie elsewhere. Diabetes is a common cause of high triglycerides. Unfortunately diabetes is a two-pronged fork. Not only does it affect triglyceride levels but diabetics are more susceptible to the damage that results from factors such as high triglycerides.

Obesity, whatever the reason, causes higher levels of triglycerides to hang around in the blood. As our nation gets progressively heavier higher cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as the heart damage that accompanies them, will become more common.

Now for the rest of us. For most of us our triglycerides are high for one reason. The truth is as plain as the nose on C.D.’s face. We are what we eat. Doctors, though themselves seldom the epitome of health, have been telling us for years to watch what we eat. With all the medical advances over the past several decades diet and exercise are still the primary and most effective methods for promoting heart health, especially in relation to cholesterol and triglycerides and the damage they can cause.

I have only this to say about exercise. Get some! But concerning diet we need a bit more detail. Let’s begin where it hurts the most. Alcohol, though good for your heart in many ways, is easily converted to triglycerides. If yours are too high stay away from alcohol.

Next in line, and this hurts me even more, is sugar. Simple, and especially highly processed carbohydrates, cause triglycerides to rise perhaps even more than alcohol. The American diet is no stranger to sugar and highly processed foods. Such foods are doing more than making us fat. They are causing the incidence of heart disease to escalate with amazing speed. When it comes to high triglycerides, sugar is your worst enemy.

Fruits are questionable. Eliminating fruits is not the place to start. Whole fruits, and the sugars they contain, do not convert to triglycerides as readily as their processed cousins. However, if you have done all you can in other areas of your diet you might consider reducing fruit intake. But before you do this make sure you have eliminated the juices that are more sugar and juice than they are fruit. And avoid canned fruits that are packed in syrup.

Since triglycerides are fat it makes sense to avoid fatty foods. I have in mind especially saturated animal fats. Foods such as bacon, sausage, fatty fowl like duck or goose and fatty beef should be restricted in your diet. Hotdogs and hamburgers? I realize they are the core of the American diet. But do I really need to comment on these?

Now for the surprise. Some fatty foods actually cause triglycerides to fall. Can you believe it? There is a silver lining behind every dark cloud. Cold water fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna, not the canned varieties, are high in omega-3 fatty acids which are well documented to reduce triglycerides. When is the last time you heard about an Eskimo having bypass surgery? Perhaps that is because Eskimos know that the American Heart Association has recommended two to four grams of omega-3 fatty acids from marine sources for people with high triglycerides. That is a lot of omega-3 but such quantities are well proven to lower triglycerides as well as offer a whole list of heart health benefits. Though it is difficult to eat that much fish and there is the risk of mercury poisoning, there is a safe way to get enough omega-3 to effectively lower triglycerides. You can take fish oils supplements. Please purchase them from a trusted source.

So, as you can see, the epidemic of rising triglycerides is an unnecessary danger. For most of us the solution rests in the things we eat and the exercise we need to get. It sounds all too simple. But I am a simple guy. I think it is nice to know that the solution to rising triglycerides is as plain as the nose on C.D.’s face.

For more information on causes of high triglycerides and triglyceride lower diets please use the links below:

Triglyceride Causes

Triglyceride Reducing Diets

Triglycerides

Optimal Heart Health: The site completely dedicated to your heart health.

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Fish oil benefits? You bet! Fish oil health benefits are important and wide-ranging. Proven by numerous clinical studies, fish oil benefits range from brain health to heart health to pregnancy health.

Fish oil health benefits come primarily from the two Omega 3 essential fatty acids in fish oil — DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and to a lesser extent EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). While plant sources such as flax seed will provide the body with Omega 3 oil, the body must convert it into DHA and EFA, and that conversion can be difficult for some people or for elderly people. However, fish oil provides the body with DHA and EPA in a natural form that can easily be assimilated.

Here are seven major fish oil benefits:

1. Lowers blood triglycerides - high levels of triglycerides are known to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

2. Helps reduce likelihood of blood clots - fish oil benefits include the prevention of blood platelets from sticking together and forming blood clots.

3. Lowers mild high blood pressure - fish oil helps lower blood pressure when it is due to high cholesterol and hardening of the arteries.

4. Reduces inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and gout - fish oil health benefits come from the DHA and EPA that reduce the amount of inflammation-causing substances.

5. Lowers risk of developing Altzheimer’s Disease - studies have found that fish oil seems to help protect the nervous system.

6. Reduces depression rates - the lack of DHA has been linked to higher incidence rates of depression.

7. Improves immune system function - fish oil benefits and studies have linked lowered risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer to the consumption of fish oil.

And there are even more fish oil benefits! From lowered risk of age-related macular degeneration to reducing the risk of osteoporosis to benefits for Type II diabetics, fish oil health benefits are truly spectacular.

However, there are some precautions that you should be aware of when considering your sources for fish oils. Some fish oils can contain:

* Contaminants such as PCB’s and heavy metals like mercury

* Additional additives to keep the fish oil from becoming rancid during the transporting and encapsulating process

* Low DHA levels

Inferior and contaminated fish oil products do exist, while at the same time fish oils are available that are harvested from pristine ocean waters. Be sure the fish oils you consume to enjoy fish oil health benefits contain high levels of DHA and EPA and are free from the heavy metals. Read as much as you can about even more fish oil benefits that provide an amazing array of health benefits.

Copyright 2005 InfoSearch Publishing

Find reliable sources of concentrated fish oil and read more about fish oil benefits and clinical studies proving the benefits. David Buster is VP of InfoSearch Publishing and webmaster of http://www.safemenopausesolutions.com - a website of natural health articles and resources.

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