Fish oil lowers heart risk for diabetic women

MANILA, Philippines - Women who consumed fish regularly had a 40-percent lower risk of heart disease. Eating deep-sea fish (not any type of fish) five times per week reduced heart disease risk by as much as 64 percent and overall mortality by 52 percent.  

Based on treatment guidelines, eating deep-sea fish regularly is the ideal thing to do, but if this is not possible, like in people who don’t eat fish, taking fish oil supplements is the next best thing.

A recent study also showed that fish oil supplements, besides regular fish intake, is advisable for diabetic women to lower the risk of heart disease and its complications.

A study conducted in France showed that a diet rich in fish oil is beneficial but taking fish oil supplement would be easier and can ensure a stable effect on diabetic women.

Fish oil softgels would also be a more convenient option for those who don’t eat fish.

In the study, the researchers found that two months of daily fish oil supplements reduces fat deposits and markers for clogging of arteries in women with type 2 diabetes.

It also showed that excess fat around the midsection (the “apple” versus “pear” shape) contributes to insulin problems, general inflammation in the arteries and an increased risk for both diabetes and heart disease.

The women who had consumed the fish oil showed a greater reduction in their belly fat, inflammation factors, blood cholesterol, and triglycerides than the women who had taken placebo or dummy pill.

Another study based on data gathered from a 16-year research program in Harvard showed that fish intake can reduce the risk of heart disease highly significantly. Sudden cardiac death is also reduced.

Dr. Frank Hu and his colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health analyzed data from diabetic women-respondents in the landmark Nurses’ Health Study (lifestyle and medical history data on more than 121,000 female nurses).

“We found that women with type 2 diabetes who ate more fish had significantly lower risk of coronary heart disease and total death than those who rarely ate fish,” said Hu, lead author and associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

Omegabloc is one of the brands of omega-3 fish oil locally available in Mercury and other leading drug stores. It has been available in the country for more than 10 years. Usual recommended dose is one softgel capsule two to three times daily.

Omegabloc comes from NOW Foods in the United States, one of the top manufacturers of vitamins and food supplements worldwide. NOW Foods is represented in the Philippines by Trianon International.

Omegabloc is an over-the counter product and requires no prescription, but many doctors are now prescribing it to their patients with established heart disease or those with multiple risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, cholesterol problems, obesity and smoking.

According to Charles Cultura, Trianon national sales and marketing manager, provincial distributors are welcome and interested parties may call 892-0723 or 24 or text 0917-8858786.