While this blog is about brain tumors and brain health, natural healing of the brain, I can’t mention fish oil for brain health without also mentioning fish oil for heart health.
One of the best medical resources for the benefits of fish oil on health, especially heart health, is The Heart Scan Blog, which is associated with the Track Your Plaque program and is maintained by cardiologist Dr. William R. Davis, MD FACC.
In the link below, I have already included the search term for “fish oil”. You will find the most interesting and reliable statistics on fish oil that you could ever want.
http://heartscanblog.blogspot.com/search?q=fish+oil
I’m a huge believer, now, in the overall health benefits of fish oil and have discovered that if I buy it by the case (one year at a time, essentially), I save 10% even over my other discounts, which is cool.
Let me just share with you some of the factoids that Dr. Davis lists on his blog about fish oil:
Take fish oil for omega-3 fatty acids–At a dose of 1000 mg or more of EPA + DHA, heart attack risk is reduced by at least 28%.
Comparing cholesterol-reduction drug Lipitor with a combination of fish oil, vitamin D, and elimination of wheat:
Reduces LDL particle number commonly by a similar 40% (though variable, depending on body weight). There is substantial improvement in LDL particle size, a large drop in C-reactive protein, often >50%, a 30% or more reduction in cardiovacular events.
On this combination, however, you also:
–Lose weight, often substantially.
–Improve bone health, esp. osteoporosis and arthritis.
–Reduce cancer risk from the vit D supplementation.
–Reduce risk of stroke.
–Reduce postprandial (after-eating) abnormalities like intermediate-density lipoprotein.
–Reduce winter blues.
–Experience more energy.
–Obtain increased clarity of thought (from elimination of wheat).
–Reduce blood pressure.
This is from an interview with Dr. Dwight Lundell about his book, “The Cure for Heart Disease”:
You’re a vocal advocate of the role of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil in heart disease prevention. Can you tell us how you use it?
In my book, I recommend 3 g of fish oil daily. This would normally yield about 1000 mg of EPA and DHA depending on the concentration of the supplement. This is approximately the dose that reduced sudden cardiac death by 50%, and all cause death, by 25% in patients with previous heart attack.
In patients with signs of chronic inflammation such as heart disease, obesity, arthritis, metabolic syndrome or depression or in those patients with elevation of CRP, I would recommend higher doses, 2000 to 3000 mg per day of EPA and DHA. The FDA has approved up to 3400 mg for treating patients with severely elevated triglycerides.
I personally take a 2000 mg EPA and DHA per day because I have calcium in my coronary arteries.
Filed under: Fish Oil, heart scan blog
