If you are at risk for developing blood clots, your doctor will likely prescribe drugs known as blood thinners. Blood clots make you more likely to develop cardiovascular problems such as a heart attack or stroke. The two types of blood thinners that help protect you from these complications are antiplatelets, which prevent blood platelets from sticking together, and anticoagulants, which prevent protein in blood from causing clots. However, blood thinners can interact with some foods, including fish oils.
Fish Oil and Cardiovascular Health
Oils from fish such as salmon, albacore tuna and herring are rich in the omega-3 essential fats eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA. These fatty acids have cardiovascular protective benefits, such as reducing inflammation, lowering blood pressure and reducing triglyceride levels. Fish oil also helps to slow the build-up of plaque and blood clots in the arteries, a condition that can lead to atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
Using Blood Thinners and Fish Oils
While helping to prevent blood clots can be beneficial for preventing cardiovascular diseases, combining blood thinners, such as warfarin or clopidogrel, and fish oils can be too much of a good thing. High doses of omega-3 fatty acids increase the risk of bleeding, so be extra cautious if you're already taking blood-thinning medication, warns the University of Maryland Medical Center. With blood thinners, you may experience symptoms such as sore or bleeding gums, easy bruising or coughing or spitting up blood.
Evidence
In a small study published in the journal "Annals of Pharmacotherapy" in January 2004, researchers from the Shawnee Mission Medical Center investigated the effects of taking warfarin with fish oil in a 67-year-old female patient. They found that supplementing with fish oil at a level of 2,000 mg per day increased international normalized ratio from 2.8 to 4.3 within one month. International normalized ratio, or INR, is a test used to calculate the length of time it takes for your blood to clot -- the higher the number, the longer it takes for your blood to clot. After decreasing fish oil intake, the patients' INR decreased to 1.6 within one week.
Amount of Fish Oil
If you are taking blood thinners, consult your doctor before taking fish oil. In general, people without cardiovascular problems can get fish oil from foods such as salmon at least twice a week. But do not exceed more than 3g of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil capsules daily due to an increased risk of bleeding.
References
- UK HealthCare; Blood Thinners: What You Should Know; September 2010
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Omega-3 fatty acids; Steven D. Ehrlich, NMD; June 2009
- "Annals of Pharmacotherapy"; Fish Oil Interaction with Warfarin; M.S. Buckley et al.; Jan 2004
- Texas Heart Institute; Blood Thinners; March 2011
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