Fish oil supplements do not prevent heart problems in people who hadn't had a heart attack yet, a large long-term study from Italy shows.
The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, tested the effect of omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in oily fish such as tuna or sardines. Patients in the study had risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a history of smoking or narrowed arteries.
Five years after the study began, 11.7 percent of the 6,244 patients taking a capsule containing one gram of fish oil daily had died or been hospitalized for heart problems, compared to 11.9 percent for the 6,269 volunteers who instead received one gram of olive oil every day as a placebo.
The study was led by Dr. Maria Carla Roncaglioni of the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan.
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