Omega-3 may prevent sudden cardiac death

With prominent personalities suddenly succumbing due to heart problems, people are now more conscious about sudden cardiac death. Studies show that about half of all deaths from heart disease are sudden and unexpected, regardless of the underlying disease.

This may be due to narrowing of the coronary arteries in patients with diabetes or cholesterol problems, degeneration of the heart muscle or cardiac enlargement in patients with high blood pressure.

While deaths from coronary artery disease have fallen, mortality from sudden cardiac death remains the most common cause of death in many countries.

Previous heart attack victims have a risk of sudden death which is four to six times the rate of the general population.

Women are not necessarily the stronger sex in relation to sudden death. At older ages, women who have heart attacks are twice as likely as men to die from them within a few weeks.

To prevent sudden cardiac death, one must treat the underlying problems, i.e. coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, smoking and other risk factors.

Over the last 10 years, there is now convincing scientific data showing that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish oil may have a significant clinical application in the prevention of sudden cardiac death.

Heart experts, including those in the American Heart Association (AHA), now recommend omega-3 in the prevention of heart attack, stroke and sudden cardiac death.

It has been suggested that the decreased mortality associated with fish intake may be in part due to a reduction by omega-3 fatty acids of fatal arrhythmias leading to cardiac arrest.

Several clinical trials, including the highly acclaimed GISSI Prevenzione

Trial published in the prestigious Lancet medical journal, have shown a consistent effect of omega-3 in reducing the incidence of sudden cardiac death.

In the same trials, no significant cardiovascular benefits have been reported with vitamin E.

In a well-received analysis of all well-designed clinical trials evaluating cholesterol-modulating drugs, including statins and fibrates published in the Archives of Internal Medicine recently, omega-3 PUFA has been shown to have the most significant benefit in terms of improving survival and lifespan of heart patients.

A locally available brand of omega-3 supplement is Omegabloc, an over-the-counter food supplement in most Mercury and Watson drug stores nationwide.

It comes in one-gram softgels and is recommended at a dose of two to three softgel capsules daily. A leading manufacturer of food supplements in the United States produces it.

Trianon International, the local distributor of Omegabloc, is welcoming provincial distributors, according to Francis Melegrito, Trianon national sales manager. Interested parties may call 892-0723, 892-0724, 815-3239 or 813-5436.