Heart failure occurs when the heart is no longer able to pump blood efficiently throughout the body. Heart failure is often due to damage to the heart that occurs as a result of atherosclerosis. Fish oil and statins are two different compounds that can help treat or prevent atherosclerosis. Some evidence suggests that fish oil may be better than statins for patients with heart failure.
What Statins Are
Statins are a commonly prescribed medication for the treatment of high cholesterol levels. Statins work by blocking the activity of an enzyme known as HMG CoA reductase, which the liver needs to make cholesterol. Taking statins can help lower your total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, and may also be effective at reversing atherosclerosis, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports. These drugs can help improve blood flow throughout the body, particularly to the heart, though they can cause some serious side effects including muscle damage.
What Fish Oil Is
Fish oil is a supplement which is derived from certain fish, such as salmon, sardines and lake trout. These fish contain high concentrations of a type of fat known as omega-3 fatty acids, which are a kind of fat that the body cannot make but is critical for health. Consuming fish oil can lower your levels of triglycerides, a type of lipid associated with atherosclerosis, MayoClinic.com reports. Fish oil also reduces your blood pressure, suppresses inflammation and reduces your risk of developing blood clots, all of which are risk factors for heart problems, particularly if you already have heart failure.
Concerns With Statins and Heart Failure
Although statins are useful for treating many different kinds of cardiovascular problems, they may not be advantageous for patients suffering from heart failure. According to Health.com, a talk given at the 2009 meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians presented results that demonstrated that statins could make the symptoms of heart failure worse for some patients. This may be due to the effect of statins on heart muscle, or it could be a result of some other mechanism. More work needs to be done to determine how statins can worsen heart failure and which patients are at risk.
Fish Oil and Heart Failure
Although statins are often more effective at treating atherosclerosis than fish oil, fish oil may actually be better than statins for patients with heart failure. A 2008 article in "Lancet" that while statins may not improve survival in patients with heart failure, omega-3 fatty acids appear to improve survival and other clinical outcomes for patients with heart failure. The effects of omega-3 fatty acids are additive to other treatments, which means that if you have heart failure you may benefit from consuming fish oil regardless of what other treatments you are receiving.
