Fish oil protects against heart attacks

NORTHBROOK, Ill., April 11 (UPI) -- Taking daily supplements of fish or soy oil might improve cardiac function and protect against heart attacks in the short-term, a U.S. study found.

"Our findings contradict the current belief in the medical community that increasing the intake of omega-3 fatty acids produces only long-term cardiac benefits," said the study's lead author Dr. Fernando Holguin of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. "In fact, our study group showed improvements in heart function in as little as two weeks."

Researchers from Atlanta, Boston and Cuernavaca, Mexico, measured the heart rate variability of 58 elderly patients every other day to establish a baseline.

For 11 weeks, half of the study participants took a daily 2g supplement of fish oil, which contains marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids. The other half took a daily 2g supplement of soy oil, which contains plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids improve heart function by providing greater variability between beats, therefore reducing the risk of arrhythmia and/or sudden death.

Patients in both groups experienced a significant increase in heart rate variability, but those with fish oil supplements achieved a greater increase in a shorter time period.

The findings appear in the journal Chest.