Join the 'Lovaza' group to help and get support from people like you.

Lovaza Blog

Blog (47)

Omega-3 Supplements Won't Fight Irregular Heartbeat

Posted 15 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

MONDAY, Nov. 15 – Omega-3 fatty acid supplements don't cut back on recurrences of atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat that can cause stroke, new research suggests. "We now have definitive data that they don't work for most patients with AF [atrial fibrillation]," said Dr. Peter R. Kowey, lead author of a study appearing in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association that is also scheduled to be presented Monday at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Chicago. "Although we can't exclude the possibility of efficacy in sicker AF patients, it would be hard to believe that it would work in that population and not in healthier patients. So for practical purposes, yes, [this is] the end of the line in AF." This study, the largest of its kind, looked at patients with AF who were otherwise healthy. "We cannot say there is any convincing ... Read more

Health Tip: Omega 3s Are Essential Fatty Acids

Posted 14 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

-- Though the body needs omega 3 fatty acids, it doesn't make them. So you must get them from foods including fish, some plants or nut oils, the University of Maryland Medical Center says. The center says there's evidence that omega 3s may help people with these health conditions, or people at greater risk of acquiring them: High cholesterol. High blood pressure. Heart disease and stroke. Cancer of the colon, breast or prostate. Diabetes. Rheumatoid arthritis. Lupus. Osteoporosis. Mental health conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Macular degeneration of the eye. Read more

Fish Oil Supplements May Not Slow Alzheimer's

Posted 3 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Nov. 2 – One of the main components of fish oil doesn't help slow the development of symptoms in patients with early Alzheimer's, although experts aren't ruling out the possibility that supplementation given earlier might help prevent the disease. The supplement, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), is present in abundance in the brain and previous studies had suggested it might play a role in treatment. But that turned out not to be the case in this latest study, which was funded by the U.S. National Institute on Aging and appears in the Nov. 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Unfortunately, we have a very solid, but very negative, result that DHA supplementation did not slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease," study author Dr. Joseph Quinn said during a Tuesday news conference. "It's not going to help once a patient has already reached the point where ... Read more

Fish Oil Might Help Fight Gum Disease

Posted 26 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 26 – Eating even moderate amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, typically found in foods such as salmon and other fatty fish, may help ward off gum disease, new research suggests. Researchers divided nearly 9,200 adults aged 20 and up participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2004 into three groups based on their consumption of omega-3 fatty acids. Consumption was assessed by asking participants to recall exactly what they'd eaten during the prior 24 hours. Dental exams showed participants in the middle and upper third for omega-3 fatty acid consumption were between 23 percent and 30 percent less likely to have gum disease than those who consumed the least amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, the researchers found that the omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) were associated with less ... Read more

Fish Oil Pills Don't Affect Postpartum Depression: Study

Posted 19 Oct 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Oct. 19 – Although some studies have shown a benefit to mothers and their infants from taking supplemental fish oil in the form of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a new Australian study finds no such benefit. In this large randomized, controlled study of more than 2,000 pregnant women, the researchers found no benefit from DHA in reducing levels of postpartum depression or improving thinking skills (cognitive) and language development in babies. "Our data suggest that there is no need for apparently healthy pregnant women to take DHA supplements," said lead researcher Maria Makrides, from Women's and Children's Health Research Institute in Adelaide, Australia. "Further work is needed to determine the potential benefits of DHA supplementation for women with a history or depression and for women at risk of having a premature baby," she added. The report is published in the Oct. 20 ... Read more

Mouse Study May Help Explain Fish Oil's Benefits

Posted 5 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Sept. 3 – Feeding obese mice omega-3 fatty acids reduced inflammation that can lead to diabetes, a new study finds. Fish oil supplements that contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids are one of the most popular dietary supplements in the United States. While omega-3 fatty acids are widely believed to be beneficial, exactly how they work hasn't been well understood, said study co-author Saswata Talukdar, a post-doctoral fellow at University of California, San Diego. By studying fat tissue in the mice consuming fish oil, researchers found omega-3 fatty acids seem to act on a particular receptor on cells, GPR120, which, when activated, blocks inflammatory processes. Chronic inflammation can lead to insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. Therefore, "if we can fix the inflammation part, it's possible that we could prevent insulin resistance or even ameliorate diabetes," ... Read more

Low-Dose Omega-3 Fatty Acids Don't Protect Heart Patients

Posted 29 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com

SUNDAY, Aug. 29 – Most heart patients who take low-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplements don't appear to gain any additional protection against further cardiac trouble, new Dutch research cautions. In fact, neither low doses of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are found in fish oil, nor of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), derived from nuts and several vegetable oils, provided any benefit to the vast majority of heart patients, the study showed. The scientists focused on patients who were already taking medications to control blood pressure, cholesterol and potential clotting. So, the researchers theorized that the poor performance of the supplements may simply reflect the overwhelming power of the medications. Study author Daan Kromhout, from the division of human nutrition at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, is to present the findings Sunday at the ... Read more

Adding Fish Oil to Low-Fat/High-Carb Diet May Improve Cholesterol

Posted 22 Aug 2010 by Drugs.com

FRIDAY, Aug. 20 – For people with the metabolic syndrome – a cluster of risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, high levels of blood fats or triglycerides and high blood sugar – adding a little fish oil to a diet low in saturated fats and high in complex carbohydrates might be just the ticket, a new study suggests. "When you add omega-3 to a high carbohydrate, low-fat diet, you can prevent the long-term adverse effect that a high-carbohydrate diet induces on [blood fats]," said study author Dr. Jose Lopez-Miranda, a professor of medicine at the Reina Sofia University Hospital and the University of Cordoba, Spain. The study is published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition. Lopez-Miranda and his team looked at 117 people with metabolic syndrome, which raises the risk of heart disease and stroke. They assigned them to one of four diets for 12 weeks. The diets ... Read more

Fish Oil Supplements Linked to Lower Risk of Breast Cancer: Study

Posted 8 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, July 8 – Postmenopausal women who take fish oil supplements may reduce their breast cancer risk, a new study suggests. The study focused on the potential health benefits of 15 different so-called "specialty" supplements to see if they affect breast cancer risk, said study senior author Emily White, an epidemiologist at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. "The only one that had an effect was fish oil," she said. Fish oil supplements, made from fatty fish such as salmon, contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. In the study, White and her colleagues asked more than 35,000 Washington state women who were between the ages of 50 and 76 and all past menopause to answer questions about their use of "non-vitamin, non-mineral supplements." All were participants in the Vitamins and Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort study, and none had a history of breast cancer. After six ... Read more

No Omega-3 Heart Benefit Seen in Women With Type 1 Diabetes

Posted 27 Jun 2010 by Drugs.com

SATURDAY, June 26 – Boosting consumption of omega-3 fatty acids doesn't seem to lower the risk of heart disease in women with type 1 diabetes, according to a new study. Omega-3 fatty acids, found primarily in fish, help prevent the buildup of cholesterol in the arteries, but little is known about whether omega-3 helps protect people with type 1 diabetes, who are at increased risk for heart disease. University of Pittsburgh researchers analyzed data from 601 men and women enrolled in a long-term prospective study of type 1 diabetes patients that began in 1986. The participants were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes between 1950 and 1980. During the study, 166 participants (27.6 percent) were diagnosed with heart disease. The investigators found the lowest incidence of heart disease among men who consumed the highest amounts of omega-3 (more than 0.2 grams per day). However, lower rates of ... Read more

Omega-3 May Reduce Endometriosis Risk

Posted 24 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com

WEDNESDAY, March 24 – Women who consume high levels of trans fats have a 48 percent increased risk of endometriosis, while those who eat diets rich in omega-3 oils are 22 percent less likely to develop the condition, a new study finds. In endometriosis, pieces of the womb lining (endometrium) are found outside of the womb. Some women experience no symptoms, but many suffer severe pain. The condition, which can lead to infertility, affects about 10 percent of women. Treatments include pain medication, hormone drugs or surgery. In this study, researchers analyzed dietary and other data from almost 71,000 women enrolled in the U.S. Nurses Health Study. Over 12 years of follow-up, 1,199 participants were diagnosed with endometriosis. The researchers said their results suggest that diet may be an important factor in the development of the condition. The study is published March 24 in the ... Read more

Omega-3 May Safely Treat Precancerous Bowel Polyps

Posted 18 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, March 18 – Treatment with a specific type of omega-3 fatty acid can shrink the number and size of precancerous polyps in people at high genetic risk of developing bowel cancer, British researchers say. The study authors reported that the new treatment appears to work as well as a drug called celecoxib (Celebrex), which is prescribed for patients with bowel polyps linked to their genetic risk, but it doesn't cause heart-related side effects. The study, published online March 18 in the journal Gut, examined 55 patients with a high genetic risk of developing precancerous polyps in the bowel. The condition, known as familial adenomatous polyposis, puts people at much higher risk of developing bowel cancer and needing surgery. The study participants were divided into two groups, with 28 receiving six months of treatment with daily 2-gram doses of a highly purified form of omega-3 ... Read more

Omega-3 Supplements Don't Reduce Risk of Preterm Birth

Posted 28 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Jan. 28 – Omega-3 fatty acid supplements are believed to have many health benefits, but the one thing they can't do is help women with a history of delivering their babies early carry their next child to full term, new research finds. "The omega-3 did not add any benefit," said study author Dr. Margaret Harper, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC. The study appears in the February issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. Harper and her colleagues randomly assigned 852 pregnant women with a history of a preterm birth either to get a daily omega-3 supplement or a placebo beginning about week 16 to 22 and continuing through week 36 of gestation. All women also received weekly intramuscular hormone injections of hydroxyprogesterone caproate, which has been shown to improve the chances of carrying a baby to ... Read more

Shedding Light on Why Omega-3 Fatty Acids May Help the Heart

Posted 20 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com

TUESDAY, Jan. 19 – Scientists think they have uncovered at least one of the reasons why omega-3 fatty acids are good for your heart. The more omega-3 that patients with coronary heart disease consumed, the slower their telomeres shrank. Telomeres are structures at the end of a chromosome that get shorter the more times a cell divides, making them a marker of biological age. "We're certainly not saying that this is the reason for all the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, but it is a new pathway linking omega-3 fatty acids to biological aging in these patients," said study lead author Dr. Ramin Farzaneh-Far, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. The findings are published in the Jan. 20 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "What they're really saying is that there is quite an impact of omega-3s on cell support and cell ... Read more

Could Omega-3s Boost Blood Fat Levels?

Posted 19 Dec 2009 by Drugs.com

THURSDAY, Dec. 17 – In a surprise finding, Canadian researchers report that the immediate effect of the fish oil fatty acids that are good for the heart is a short-term increase in blood fats and the molecules that help them form clots. "We were surprised to find that the acute response has some potentially negative effects in comparison to what you might expect from chronic, long-term intake," said Lindsay E. Robinson, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Guelph, and leader of the group reporting the finding in the January issue of the Journal of Nutrition. However, the study results shouldn't affect the current recommendation for eating more oily fish to get the omega-3 polyunsaturated acids that reduce the risk of blood clots that can cause heart attacks and stroke, Robinson said. "The recommendation to increase intake is very well-studied, and this doesn't ... Read more

Page: 1 2 3 4 Next (47 results)

Ask a Question

Further Information

Related Condition Support Groups

Hypertriglyceridemia, Dietary Supplementation, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)