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May 25, 2007:
Heart attack victims can hope for a better
deal. A medical report says that thousands of them
are to be prescribed fish oil supplements under
certain guidelines on the anvil.
According to the report, doctors will tell heart
patients to eat at least two portions of oily fish
per week or take omega 3 fatty acid tablets for up
to four years to reduce the risks of a second
attack. A clinical trial found daily 1g doses of
highly concentrated omega 3 within three months of
a heart attack cut the risk of a patient later
dying suddenly by 45 per cent, the report added.
Eating oily fish or taking the supplements has a
range of health benefits including reduced risk of
cardiovascular disease and stroke, better immune
system functioning, and improved behaviour in
primary school age children, earlier research has
stated.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical
Excellence (Nice), which has brought a report on
this, says the wide-ranging advice is designed to
reduce the risks of a secondary attack among the
160,000 people who survive a first heart attack
each year. Patients will be told to follow a
Mediterranean diet, high in fruit, vegetables,
grains, olive oil and fish, it said. The diet, two
to four portions of oily fish a week, should
consist of 7g of omega 3 fatty acids.
According to the National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence estimates, one in five, which
run up to around 40,000, patients will be
prescribed the pills, the report said. Omega 3 and
other fatty acids play a key role in maintaining
the structure of cell membranes and are important
in regulating blood clotting, body temperature,
blood pressure, reproduction and the immune
system, it said. The richest sources of omega 3
are oily fish, particularly mackerel, herring,
salmon, fresh tuna and trout.
Besides, doctors will continue to advise heart
attack sufferers to give up smoking, maintain a
healthy weight, reduce alcohol intake and to
exercise for 20 to 30 minutes a day.
BY OUR PHARMA CORRESPONDENT
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