CardioExchange Archive

May 6th, 2014

FDA Approves New Omega-3 Supplement

Larry Husten, PHD

The FDA has approved a new omega-3 supplement for the treatment of adults with severe hypertriglyceridemia, defined as triglyceride levels 500 mg/dL or higher. The drug, which will be marketed under the brand name of Epanova, is manufactured by AstraZeneca, which acquired the drug when it purchased Omthera Pharmaceuticals in 2013. AstraZeneca said that Epanova is the first omega-3 […]

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March 17th, 2014

Studies Provide Little Support for Guidelines on Dietary Fats and Supplements

Larry Husten, PHD

The precise cardiovascular effect of dietary fats and supplements has been the subject of heated controversy. Although there is no strong supporting evidence from clinical trials, current guidelines tend to discourage or minimize the role of saturated fats and trans fats and to encourage the intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Two new studies published today help clarify […]

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July 11th, 2013

Link to Prostate Cancer Brings More Bad News for Fish-Oil Story

Larry Husten, PHD

Adding more confusion to an already fishy story, a new study has found a significant association between omega-3 fatty acids and the risk of prostate cancer. Although the link had been previously observed, the finding surprised the investigators, who wrote that “these findings contradict the expectation that high consumption of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and low consumption […]

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September 11th, 2012

More Evidence That Omega-3 Supplements Don’t Work

Larry Husten, PHD

Once again researchers have failed to find any clinical benefit for omega-3 supplements. In a new meta-analysis and systematic review published in JAMA, Evangelos Rizos and colleagues analyzed 20 randomized controlled trials including  68,680 patients and found no significant effect on any of the endpoints: all-cause mortality: relative risk (RR) 0.96, CI 0.91 – 1.02 cardiac death: RR […]

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June 2nd, 2011

Small Study Suggests Possible Benefits of Fish-Oil Supplements for PCI Patients

Larry Husten, PHD

A small study from Poland raises the possibility that supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids may have beneficial effects when given to PCI patients already taking aspirin and clopidogrel. The investigator-initiated study randomized 54 PCI patients to either 1 g per day of n-3 PUFA daily or placebo for one month. The results have been published […]

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November 15th, 2010

Omega-3s Fail to Show Benefits in Atrial Fibrillation

Larry Husten, PHD

In sharp contrast to earlier studies suggesting a positive effect, a large study of high-dose prescription omega-3 fatty acids found no evidence of benefit in treating atrial fibrillation. The trial, called the Efficacy and Safety of Prescription Omega-3 Acid Ethyl Esters (P-OM3) for the Prevention of Recurrent Symptomatic Atrial Fibrillation, included 663 patients with AF (542 […]

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