I take a statin to lower cholesterol … Why take fish oil?

Recently Dr William Davis who writes articles for healthcentral.com recommended that one of his patients add fish oil to their heart disease prevention regimen.

The question was whether to stop taking fish oil, because they were already taking a cholesterol drug, and the statin drug is so powerful that it should eliminate the need. His answer was No. It's not even close to the truth.

Even if one believed all statin drug research studies, you would know they were paid for the pharmaceutical industry. It's not a shock that studies paid for by the sponsor are likely to favor the sponsor.

That doesn't necessarily mean that the data doesn't contain some truth, but the benefits could be overstated. Even so, it's clear from the hundreds of studies performed that a statin drug like Lipitor, can help reduce heart attacks and death from heart disease by 30-35%, but not eliminate risk totally.

The benefits of adding omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil to statins are documented in a trial, in which 19,000 Japanese participants experienced a 19% relative reduction in cardiovascular events when 1800 mg of EPA (alone) was added to a statin drug. What makes this study especially remarkable is the fact that it occurred in the Japanese, whose intake of omega-3 from diet is already fairly high, usually ranging from 1800-3000 mg EPA + DHA per day. Benefits for less enthusiastic fish eaters, like myself, would be expected to be even greater.

Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil also:

Reduce triglycerides dramatically - an effect that is dependent on the dose of EPA + DHA used.

Accelerate after-eating clearance of digestive by-products, i.e., they correct post-prandial abnormalities. Post-prandial abnormalities are potent causes of carotid and vascular disease.

Modify the character (fragmentation potential, structural strength) of plaque. People taking fish oil have firmer, more stable, less fragmentable plaque.

Raise HDL modestly - If you buy fish oil from worldclassnutrition, supplementstogo, other discounters, a healthy dose of fish oil might cost you $3 per month. Compare that to the $120 per month average cost of a statin agent.

So, do statin drugs make omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil unnecessary? … NOT. Adding omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, or eating fish permits us to get closer, not to reduction, but towards elimination of risk for heart disease.