Heart Attack Facts

About 720,000 people in the United States will have a heart attack this year. Once a person has a heart attack their heart is capable of reorganizing itself so that it can maintain function, or in some cases improve function. Many people have hearts that undergo adverse changes after the cardiac arrest episode. These hearts may include an enlargement of the muscle. An enlarged heart will have a decreased ability to pump blood throughout the body. The added strain on the heart muscle will make it work harder and can cause people to suffer from arrhythmias for the rest of their life, or in worst case scenarios it can cause people to experience heart failure.

The Study

Researchers chose 374 recent heart attack victims at random and prescribed to them either a placebo or 4mg of Omega-3 fatty acid supplements. The patients were divided into groups based on the age of the patient, and whether they suffered from an anterior infarct or a non-anterior infarct.
The patients taking the Omega-3 fatty acid supplements were thirty nine percent less likely to have obvious deterioration of heart function. When patients had a five percent increase of the amount of omega-3 fatty acid in their blood, they showed the most improvement in their heart function.
The Omega-3 fatty acids appeared to reduce the inflammation the patients had compared to the amount of post cardiac inflammation that the people taking the placebo suffered.
The majority of patients that were supplied the omega-3 fatty acids showed great tolerance for the therapy.

Recommendations

Researchers recommend that all people, of all ages, eat a food that is high in omega-3 fatty acids at least twice a week to help prevent cardiac episodes, and heart failure. Salmon and tuna are both very high in omega-3 fatty acids. You can also find the fatty acids in trout, and sardines.
When the American patients in the study increased the level of fatty acids in their blood by three percent for a six-month period of time, they began to have fewer cardiac episodes, reduced chances of heart failure, increased cognitive abilities, and their overall heart conditions could be compared to the excellent heart conditions of Japanese individuals.
Fatty acids can also help improve the cognitive function in people who have experienced strokes. It is highly recommended that people get their omega-3 fatty acids from foods that are rich in these acids, but you can also get prescriptions for fatty acid supplements. If you choose to take over the counter omega-3 fatty acid supplements be certain that you carefully read the labeling and are getting 4mg of true omega-3 fatty acids. The supplements often leave people complaining of a fishy taste long after they have taken the medication. These supplements must be taken daily in order for the amount of fatty acids in your blood to reach a proper level and stay at that level.