Fish Oil supplements may help reduce risk of heart disease for post-menopausal women

GUELPH, ONTARIO, CANADA, August 2000 - Post-menopausal women may be able to reduce their risk of developing heart disease by taking fish oil supplements, according to a new study conducted at the University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada. The results were reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August, 2000.

The placebo-controlled study included 36 post-menopausal women grouped according to whether or not they were taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Researchers found that fish oil supplements lowered blood triglyceride levels by 26%. These results were consistent whether the women were undergoing hormone replacement therapy or not.

High triglyceride levels are an important risk factor in the development of heart disease. By reducing triglyceride levels so significantly, researchers concluded that fish oil could potentially reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 27% in postmenopausal women.

- Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, August 2000

View abstract online at: www.ajcn.org

Back to News Items