Key Points Fish oil cut death risk by 8% among people with congestive heart failure (CHF), in large clinical trial. No risk reductions were seen among CHF patients taking the common statin drug Crestor (rosuvastatin). Results affirm the promise of omega-3s for protecting overall cardiovascular health.

Dr. Leaf also cited other studies, which indicate that supplemental fish oil sharply reduces the risk of fatal cardiac arrhythmias among recent heart attack victims and among people with implanted cardiac defibrillators at high risk for fatal ventricular arrhythmias.

As Dr. Leaf wrote, “These studies demonstrate that fish oil fatty acids have beneficial effects on coronary heart disease.” (Leaf A 2008)

New trial adds congestive heart failure to list of omega-3 benefits

The authors of the new study recruited 6,975 people diagnosed with chronic heart failure and randomly assigned them to take either 1 gram of omega-3s (contained in fish oil capsules) daily or placebo capsules (GISSI-HF 2008).

Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a life-threatening condition in which the heart can no longer pump enough blood to the rest of the body.

After nearly four years, people in the fish oil group were 8 percent less likely to have been admitted to hospital or to have died, compared with the members of the placebo group.

In both groups, stomach upset was the most frequent adverse reaction, occurring in three percent of participants.

As the authors wrote, “Our study shows that the long-term administration of 1 gram per day of omega-3 [fatty acids] was effective in reducing both all-cause mortality [death] and admissions to hospital for cardiovascular reasons.” (GISSI-HF 2008)

Statins show no benefit in companion clinical trial

The same authors conducted a second clinical trial to test the effects of a common cholesterol-lowering statin drug – Crestor (rosuvastatin) – in patients with heart failure (GISSI-HF 2008).

The rationale for this trial was that statins exert anti-inflammatory effects, and it's believed that heart failure patients respond to measures that reduce certain aspects of inflammation.

The authors recruited 4,574 people diagnosed with chronic heart failure (CHF) and randomly assigned them to take either 10 mg of rosuvastatin daily or placebo ...

And the results of a recent study from Holland appear to underscore the importance of vitamin D to brain health.

Dutch study links higher mental test scores to higher vitamin D levels

Earlier this year, Dutch researchers conducted a population study in 225 older outpatients diagnosed with “probable Alzheimer's disease”.

The scientists compared participants’ blood levels of vitamin D to their scores on a standard test for dementia (Mini-Mental State Examination, or MMSE).

In addition to vitamin D levels, the researchers also analyzed the participants’ blood levels of vitamins B1, B6, and B12, higher levels of which have been linked to reduced risk of dementia in some – but not all – studies.

The results showed that the volunteers with adequate vitamin D levels earned significantly higher scores on the mental status exam, compared to participants with low vitamin D levels (Oudshoorn C et al. 2008).

The study found no association between B-vitamin levels and test scores.

As the authors wrote, “These data support the idea that a relationship exists between vitamin D status and [improved] cognition in patients with probable Alzheimer's disease. Further prospective studies are needed to specify the contribution of vitamin D status to the onset and course of cognitive decline and AD.” (Oudshoorn C et al. 2008)

Excess calcium linked to brain damage

Fish fit the vitamin D bill; Sockeye salmon stand out Certain fish rank among the very few substantial food sources of vitamin D, far outranking milk and other D-fortified foods. Among fish, wild Sockeye Salmon may be the richest source of all, with a single 3.5 ounce serving surpassing the US RDA of 400 IU by about 70 percent:   Vitamin D per 3.5 ounce serving* Sockeye Salmon  687 IU Albacore Tuna  544 IU Silver Salmon  430 IU King Salmon  236 IU Sardines  222 IU Sablefish  169 IU Halibut  162 IU   *For our full test results, click here.

Back in April of 2007, scientists from Duke University and the University of North Carolina presented the disturbing results of MRI brain scans of elderly volunteers suffering from depression.

The study involved 232 men and women (79 men, 153 women) between the ages of 60 and 86, almost half of whom had been diagnosed with depression (Payne ME et al. 2007).

The scans showed that those who reported consuming higher levels of calcium and vitamin D (from foods and supplements) had more brain lesions than those who said they consumed less calcium and vitamin D.

Brain lesions are linked to increased risk of cognitive impairment, dementia, depression, and ...

The omega-3 fatty acid called DHA, found only in algae and fish, plays key functional and structural roles in all human cells, but is especially important to brain and eye function.

Practically speaking, the retina of the eye is a layer of brain tissue that receives energy from light, which it changes to biochemical and electrical signals to the brain, producing the mental phenomenon called “sight.”

The retina uses specialized photoreceptor cells called rods and cones to process light. Rod and cone cells are extraordinarily rich in DHA. A shortage of dietary DHA leads to a shortage of retinal DHA, which in turn reduces visual acuity.

But lack of dietary omega-3s – from fatty fish or fish oil supplements – can bring more ominous threats, like age-related macular degeneration.

Omega-3 DHA in the retina’s cells is used to make a substance called neuroprotectin D1. This substance protects retinal pigment cells from damage and destruction. In addition, DHA itself helps protect the retina’s pigment cells.

These twin protective actions help explain why people who eat fish more than once a week have significantly lower rates of AMD, according to the results of population studies.

For prior research on this topic, see “Fishy Help for Eye Health Affirmed by Aussie Analysis” and “Fish Seen Helping in Fight to Save Sight”.

New study affirms the role of omega-3s in eye health

Fish may help in more ways: Vitamin D and astaxanthin Fatty fish may hold another agent key to eye health.  In research we reported recently, vitamin D – which is uniquely abundant in wild Salmon – was found to exert complementary preventive impacts on AMD (Parekh N et al. 2007). See “Vitamin D Adds Eye Health to Roster of Recent Accolades”.   Omega-3s and vitamin D may indeed constitute the major eye-health constituents in fish, but wild Salmon are also rich in astaxanthin, which appears beneficial.   This highly potent antioxidant pigment exerts effects similar to those of its fellow xanthophyll-type carotenes – lutein and zeaxanthin – which are routinely prescribed by eye doctors because higher consumption of each compound is associated with reduced risk of AMD and cataracts (Parisi V et al. 2008; Bhosale P, Bernstein PS 2005).

The fish-vision connection has been strengthened by yet another population study linking higher omega-3 intake to reduced risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

The findings show that eating one portion of omega-3-rich fish every week may halve the risk of developing the advanced, “wet” form of AMD (Augood C et al. 2008).

A team led by Astrid Fletcher of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine recruited 105 people aged 65 years with wet AMD, and 2,170 healthy people to act as controls.

They compared the participants’ dietary habits using questionnaires. Only food sources of omega-3 – not fish oil supplements – were considered.

People who reported eating at least one serving of fatty fish per week were 50 percent less likely to have wet AMD, compared to people who ate less than one fatty fish portion per week.

As expected, people whose reported diets contained at least an estimated 300 mg per day of either of the two key omega-3s in fish fat – DHA and EPA – were about 70 percent less likely to have wet AMD, compared to ...