Recently, I was reviewing the Lyon Heart Study in preparing a presentation for the Future of Health Technology Summit at the MIT. The 70% reduction in mortality experienced by people on a Mediterranean diet was largely due to consumption of Omega 3 fatty acids found in fish oil! Folks, this stuff will not only help you run faster, think smarter, improve heart and brain function, and reduce the incidence of multiple diseases, it could save your life! I’ve tried multiple kinds of fish oil and like the Sears Laboratory liquid form best. I take it every day without fail.
In a report released by the American Heart Association, fish oil supplements were shown to drastically reduce the risk of sudden death. The study consisted of 11,323 patients who had suffered a heart attack within the previous three months. All of the patients were told to eat diets rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil and fish. One group of these patients was also given 1000 mg a day of a fish oil supplement. After only three months of fish oil treatment, there was an astounding 41% decrease in the risk of sudden death. At the end of the three-and-a-half-year study, those receiving the fish oil supplement were 45% less likely to die from a heart-related disease.
The doctors who published this study stated that the reason fish oil prevented sudden death is that it lowered the risk of fatal arrhythmia. Most sudden death heart attacks are caused by a lethal fibrillation event, where the heart muscle beats wildly out of control and does not pump any blood. The only way of saving a person in a state of “ventricular fibrillation” is to immediately apply a “defibrillator” that shocks them back into a normal rhythm. Fish oil functions as an “anti-arrhythmic” agent to prevent lethal fibrillations.
They have portable defibrillators now in some malls and airports. Avoid letting an amateur (or even a professional) try one out on you. Take your fish oil. And remember it needs to be pharmaceutical grade.
Circulation. 2002;105:1897
Clinical Investigation and Reports
Early Protection Against Sudden Death by n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids After Myocardial Infarction
Roberto Marchioli, MD et. al.