Login or Register

Statins Vs. Fish Oil

Feb 19, 2011 | By Julie Saccone
Statins Vs. Fish Oil
Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

Statins and fish oil are two powerful agents that can help reduce your risk of heart disease. While one is a group of commonly prescribed drugs and the other a healthy fat, each has promising benefits for heart and other medical conditions. Learning more about statins and how you can achieve the health benefits of fish oil can help prevent or treat certain conditions. Before taking a statin or fish oil supplement, contact your doctor.

Description

Fish oil, found in fish or available in the form of a supplement, is a source of healthy fat known as omega-3 fatty acids. Fatty fish, including mackerel, salmon, albacore tuna, sardines, herring, mackerel, anchovies, trout and swordfish, contain high levels of omega-3. The American Heart Association recommends two servings of 3.5 oz or 3/4 cup of cooked or flaked fish each day. Statins are a class of cholesterol-lowering drug that function by interfering with the production of an enzyme in your liver that makes cholesterol. A buildup of cholesterol in your blood leads to narrowing or hardening of your arteries, a major risk factor for heart disease. Your doctor may prescribe a statin if diet and exercise alone cannot reduce high cholesterol levels. Common statins include Lipitor and Crestor.

Heart Benefits

Studies have found fish oil reduces high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and arrhythmias, abnormal heart rhythms. Similarly, statins lower bad cholesterol levels, boost good cholesterol levels and slow plaque accumulation in your arteries. A March 31, 2007 study by Mitsuhiro Yokoyama and colleagues in the journal "The Lancet" found the heart benefits are even greater when statins and fish oil are combined. According to the authors, patients with high blood pressure receiving a daily combination of 1800 mg of fish oil and a statin had a 19 percent lower risk of sudden death or heart attack, and a 28 percent lower risk of developing angina. In 2009, a study in "Circulation Journal" by Masunori Matsuzaki and colleagues found those results also held true for patients with heart disease; the risk of heart attack or sudden death fell by 27 percent for those with a previous heart attack and 41 percent in those who had bypass surgery or an angioplasty.

Other Benefits

Scientific evidence suggests fish oil and statins have a number of benefits beyond lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease. Fish oil is beneficial for dry eye, and macular degeneration and glaucoma, eye diseases that cause blindness, according to MedlinePlus. Your doctor may also recommend fish oil to reduce your risk of high blood pressure and kidney damage after heart transplant surgery, for painful periods, diabetes or asthma, or to improve stiffness and joint tenderness from arthritis, MayoClinic.com says. Preliminary research on statins also suggests the drugs may reduce your risk of blood clots, kidney disease, arthritis, bone fractures, some forms of cancer, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, MayoClinic.com adds.

Dangers

Ingesting more than 3 g of fish oil per day may boost LDL or "bad" cholesterol levels, and blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Taking high doses may also increase your risk of blood clotting and bleeding. While statins are generally safe, use of the drugs can cause liver and muscle problems. While they're rare, people with liver disease and pregnant women should avoid taking statins.

References

Article reviewed by Alan Craig Last updated on: Feb 19, 2011

Must see: Photo Galleries

Member Comments