CHD: Fish oils work better than a statin drug at protecting your heart

There’s something better you could be doing for your heart than just popping a cholesterol-lowering pill.  Fish-oil supplements work better than a popular statin drug at preventing chronic heart disease, researchers have found.

In the study, researchers tested a daily omega-3 pill against placebo, and the statin drug Crestor (rosuvastin) against placebo, on two groups.  Those who took the fish oil fared marginally better than those taking the statin drug.

The fish oils increase the body’s HDL ‘good’ cholesterol levels, which also helps prevents abnormal heart rhythms, whereas statin drugs work on attacking ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol. 

(Source:  Time magazine, August 31, 2008).

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