Fish oil Supplements Does Your Heart Good And Reduces Stroke Risk

Millions of Americans pop a fish oil supplement each day, hoping to bolster their heart health. Now, research suggests they may be on the right track.

The most up-to-date review of data from 13 prior studies found daily omega-3 fish oil supplement use tied to a significant lowering of risk for heart attack, according to a team led by Dr. JoAnn Manson. She is a professor of epidemiology at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, in Boston.

Daily use of the supplement typically about 840 milligrams per day was also linked to a lower overall risk of dying from heart disease, the review found.

In total, the 13 studies involved data on more than 120,000 adults, a sample size that is 64% larger than any other yet conducted, the researchers said.

Although the findings are encouraging, fish oil remains just one factor in heart health, Manson said in a school news release.

"Public health recommendations should focus on increasing fish consumption, having an overall heart-healthy diet, being physically active, and having other healthy lifestyle practices," she said. However, "this study suggests that omega-3 supplementation may have a role in appropriate patients."

Overall, Manson's team concluded that people who took a fish oil supplement on a daily basis had an 8% drop in their risk for heart attack or death due to coronary heart disease.

The study couldn't prove that fish oil supplements directly caused the improvements in heart health. After all, people who take the supplements might also be doing other things to boost their cardiovascular systems.

However, the researchers pointed out that there was a "dose-response" relationship in the findings: The more omega-3 fish oil

a person took in each day, the greater their protection against heart disease.

As a practical matter, that could mean that "high-dose" supplementation -- a daily regimen that exceeds the 840 mg threshold that's the subject of most research -- could be of even greater benefit than lower doses.

There was one exception to these trends, however: No evidence was found to indicate that omega-3 fish oil also helped to decrease stroke risk, the researchers reported.