Fish oil supplementation tied to lower atherothrombotic risk

(HealthDay)—Fish oil supplementation (FOS) is associated with atherothrombotic risk reduction in suspected coronary artery disease (sCAD), according to a study published in the May 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.

Christopher J. Franzese, from the Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, and colleagues compared indices of atherothrombotic risk in 600 patients with sCAD who were on FOS or not on FOS.

The researchers found that FOS correlated with significantly increased eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid content and with significantly lower triglycerides, total very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, intermediate-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and AtherOx levels; these correlations were not seen in patients on lipid-lowering therapy. Very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, intermediate-density lipoprotein cholesterol, remnant lipoproteins, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, AtherOx levels, collagen-induced platelet aggregation, thrombin-induced platelet-fibrin clot strength, and shear elasticity were lower for patients not on lipid-lowering therapy taking FOS. There was no difference in ADP-induced aggregation between FOS groups for clopidogrel-treated patients. Regardless of lipid-lowering therapy, patients on FOS had lower urinary 11-dehydrothromboxane B₂ levels.

"Future prospective studies to compare FOS with lipid-lowering therapy and to assess the independent effects of FOS on thrombogenicity are needed," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry; one author disclosed holding patents in the area of personalized antiplatelet therapy and interventional cardiology.