Ever since scientists found out that Greenland Eskimos, who eat a diet rich in fish, have a low risk of dying from heart attacks, they've been studying the substances in fish oils called omega-3 fatty acids. Some research has shown that omega-3s do actually reduce the risk of heart problems. There's been several small studies that showed that they can also help to slightly, lower the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
Scientists have theorized though, that at least part of the reason why omega-3s protect against death from heart attack is that they prevent irregular heart rhythms, or arrhythmia. To test this theory, researchers did a study of omega-3s in people who had recently gone through an episode of arrhythmia that affected the parts of the heart called the ventricles. Every one of the people who participated used an implanted cardioverter defibrillator, or ICD, to detect irregular heart rhythms and correct them by delivering a small electric shock. The study was published in the June 15 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, where researchers randomly assigned the 200 people who signed up for the study, to get either 1,800 mg a day of a fish oil supplement or a placebo. The researchers followed up with the participants after 6, 12, and 24 months. What they found was that the fish oil supplements didn't prevent any episodes of arrhythmia and in fact, some of the people had more episodes.
The researchers concluded that omega-3s may not prevent ventricular arrhythmia, and that people with an ICD and repeated episodes of ventricular arrhythmia shouldn't take fish oil supplements. If you have heart rhythm irregularities, talk to your doctor before you try fish oil supplements.
Another thing that you will want to be wary of, is that over-the-counter fish oils may not be pure. The manufacturers will add fillers to the fish oils, so be sure to read the label on the bottles and you should be able to get a prescription from your doctor for a more pure form of the fish oil.
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