Dr. Vasquez

The scientific reasons why you need to include a fish oil supplement in your daily health routine:
*Benefits of fish oil supplementation:* Reduced risk for cancer, especially breast cancer in women. Reduces high blood pressure. Alleviates depression and anxiety. Improves cognitive/brain function. Promotes healthy skin. Relieves joint pain and inflammation. Low- cost and generally safe for long-term use. Provides additional vitamins A and D. Can lower cholesterol and reduce your risk for heart attack and stroke. Makes your children smarter (this only works if you are pregnant woman!).	*CLICK HERE: Learn more about fats and fatty acids* Part 1: review of fatty acid biochemistry by Dr. Vasquez, Nutritional Perspectives 2004 Part 2: clinical uses of fatty acid therapy by Dr. Vasquez, Nutritional Perspectives 2005 Essential fatty acids in health and chronic disease by Artemis Simopoulos (link updated April 2005), published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999. "Human beings evolved consuming a diet that contained about equal amounts of n-3 and n-6 essential fatty acids. Over the past 100-150 y there has been an enormous increase in the consumption of n-6 fatty acids due to the increased intake of vegetable oils from corn, sunflower seeds, safflower seeds, cottonseed, and soybeans. Today, in Western diets, the ratio of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids ranges from approximately 20-30:1 instead of the traditional range of 1-2:1..."
As I probably explained to you during your office visit, clinically effective doses of fish oil are found either in capsule supplements or liquid supplements. Capsules are generally more cumbersome and are much more expensive--you generally have to take 6-20 capsules to get the same amount of fish oil in 1-2 tablespoons. *Most people find that liquid* fish oil supplements are easier to work with and much less expensive** than are the capsules.

Consumption of fish and fish oils and decreased risk of stroke. Prev Cardiol 2003 Winter;6(1):38-41

Skerrett PJ, Hennekens CH.

Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School , Boston , MA , USA .

Consumption of fish and fish oils was first associated with decreased risk of cardiovascular disease almost 50 years ago. Since then, a number of epidemiologic studies have evaluated whether their consumption is specifically associated with stroke. Ecologic/cross-sectional and case-control studies have generally shown an inverse association between consumption of fish and fish oils and stroke risk. Results from five prospective studies have been less consistent, with one showing no association, one showing a possible inverse association, and three demonstrating a significant inverse association. In the latest and largest of these, the Nurses Health Study, the relative risk of total stroke was lower, although not significantly so, among women who regularly ate fish than among those who did not. A significant decrease in the risk of thrombotic stroke (relative risk, 0.49; 95% confidence interval, 0.26-0.93) was observed among women who ate fish at least two times per week compared with women who ate fish less than once per month, after adjustment for age, smoking, and other cardiovascular risk factors; a nonsignificant decrease was observed among women in the highest quintile of long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake. No association was observed between consumption of fish or fish oil and hemorrhagic stroke. These data support the hypothesis that consumption of fish several times per week reduces the risk of thrombotic stroke but does not increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

The long-term effect of eicosapentaenoic acid on serum levels of lipoprotein (a) and lipids in patients with vascular disease. J Atheroscler Thromb 1996;2(2):107-9

Shinozaki K, Kambayashi J, Kawasaki T, Uemura Y, Sakon M, Shiba E, Shibuya T, Nakamura T, Mori T.

Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School , Japan .

The effects of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on serum lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a)) and other lipid levels in patients with vascular disease were examined. The serum levels of Lp(a), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) were measured in 24 patients with vascular disease. An elevated serum Lp(a) level (39 +/- 22 mg/dl) was noted in 9 patients, elevated total cholesterol level (263 +/- 31 mg/dl) in 12 patients, elevated triglyceride level (240 +/- 98 mg/dl) in 10 patients and elevated LDL level (651 +/- 88 mg/dl) in 6 patients before administration of EPA. EPA (1,800 mg/day) was given to these patients for long periods ranging from 6 to 24 months. The serum levels of Lp(a), TC, TG and LDL were lowered significantly (p < 0.05) after EPA administration for 12 and 18 months, for 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, for 18 months and for 12 and 18 months, respectively. These findings indicated that long-term administration of EPA may lower Lp(a) and serum lipids, which is beneficial for patients with various arterial diseases in terms of preventing progression of the disease.

Both fish oil and olive oil lowered plasma fibrinogen in women with high baseline fibrinogen levels.

Thromb Haemost 1994 Oct;72(4):557-62

Oosthuizen W, Vorster HH, Jerling JC, Barnard HC, Smuts CM, Silvis N, Kruger A, Venter CS.

Nutrition Research Group, Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, South Africa .

This double-blind, cross-over study with olive oil as placebo, examined the effect of a daily dosage of 6 g fish oil on cardiovascular risk markers of 20 healthy young volunteers (10 men, 10 women). Serum lipids and lipoproteins, and plasma coagulation and fibrinolytic enzymes, including fibrinogen concentrations and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) activity were measured at baseline and after 6-week supplementation of either fish or olive oil. The results showed that fish oil had an independent lowering effect on triglycerides and coagulation factors Vc and VIIc. Both fish and olive oil significantly raised PAI-1 levels and lowered plasma factor Xc and fibrinogen levels in the women, who had higher initial levels than the men. Mean fibrinogen levels of the women were lowered from 3.23 +/- 0.98 to 2.64 +/- 0.55 g/l and from 3.19 +/- 0.72 to 2.66 +/- 0.49 g/l by fish and olive oil respectively.