Fish oil and Omega fatty acids, namely Omega-3, continue to show more and more health benefits. Omega fatty acids have been researched for effectiveness against cancer,  brain function, depression, cardiovascular disorders, and much more. Although Omegas have been researched for heart conditions, researchers are putting it up to the test against pharmaceuticals.

Recently an Italian study put Omega 3 fatty acid pills against the pharmaceutical drug Crestor (Rosuvastatin). Here is the breakdown of the results:
3500 patients per each category. 4 year study of patients prone to heart failure
Omega 3– 1981 patients had heart failure or went to hopital with a heart condition
Omega 3 placebo– 2053 patients had heart failure or went to hopital with a heart condition

Crestor– 2285 patients had heart failure or went to hopital with a heart condition
Crestor placebo– 2289 patients had heart failure or went to hopital with a heart condition

This led researchers to conclude that fish oil can preform better than Crestor against heart failure.

Well this is great news in the world of alternative medicine and looking into complimentary healing approaches to any of our ailments. Food, herbs, diet and lifestyle changes are all just part of not only a complimentary treatment plan to your western treatments, but prevention techniques can be used to lead a more ailment free life.

My thoughts on the study. Clearly there isn’t a clear and concrete end to the study. The fish oil beat out the medication in the placebo test, but not really much more than this. This is, however another great research tool to confirm the great heart health abilities of Omega 3 fatty acids. I would also like to note that there is little to no side effects to an Omega-3 supplement while Crestor has a list of side effects like most other pharmaceuticals. I don’t see any doctors telling patients with heart conditions to take a fish oil supplement over a prescription drug, therefore I would have liked to see this study done in conjunction with the prescription medicine.

My last note on fish oil is that I always like to encourage diet change over supplementing :). Fish oil can be found in about all fish and isn’t needed in large doses every day. Getting some fish in your diet a few times a week can get most people all the Omega Fatty Acids they need. Remember smaller fish have a higher content: anchovies, cod, and such are some examples. If you can’t make the change then go ahead and get yourself some fish oil supplements!