Fish Oil May Be Helpful To Some And Harmful To Others

Isn't this a common story. It seems that we are all "crash test dummies", with the proliferation of drugs and herbal helpers.

clipped from www.sciencedaily.com ScienceDaily (Jan. 15, 2008) — Fish oil supplements may help some cardiac patients while harming others, suggests a new review of evidence compiled by St. Michael's Hospital and University of Toronto researchers. In a systematic review of trials where patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators used fish oil supplements, Dr. David Jenkins and Dr. Paul Dorian found significant differences among the trials, indicating fish oil may be beneficial to some patients while having a negative impact on others. "Fish oils can have complex and varied effects on the heart," says Jenkins, a U of T Professor of Medicine who runs the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre at St. Michael's Hospital. "These effects include blocking cardiac ion channels, reducing fibrosis in response to mechanical stress, decreasing blood coagulation, and possibly altering immune function."