Did you know that heart disease is the #1 killer in the world today?
Millions of people around the world die from heart diseases, many of which could have been prevented or otherwise avoided by taking a few simple precautions to eat right, exercise more, and stress less.
But, in many cases, people don’t realize that they’re harming their heart until it’s too late. They suffer the heart attack or minor cardiac episode, and only then do they realize that they need to protect their heart from further damage.
If you’ve had a cardiac episode, you’ll be glad to know that fish oil can not only help you recover from the heart attack, but it can even prevent further attacks in the future!
Science Proves Fish Oil Good for Heart After an Attack
According to a study published in March 2015, high doses of the Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish (and fish oil) can help to repair damage to the heart. It can even stop the heart from being damaged further and may prevent heart attacks in the future.
4 Gram of Prescription Grade Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Over 370 people participated in the study, all of whom had survived a heart attack. They received only the standard treatment for heart attacks, then were given either a placebo or a 4-gram dose of prescription-only Omega-3 fatty acids. To put that into perspective, you would have to consume about 8 ounces of salmon to get that same 4-gram dose of Omega-3s.
Throughout the course of the study, participants had their hearts scanned using an MRI machine. The scans were taken two weeks, four weeks, and six months after they had suffered their heart attack. The results were pretty impressive!
Lower Levels of Cardiac Inflammation
The patients who had taken the Omega-3 supplement showed far lower levels of cardiac inflammation (swelling). Plus, their risk of heart function deterioration was 39% lower than the placebo group. There was significantly less scarring and thickening on the heart muscles that had not been damaged during the cardiac episode. This thickening, caused when the heart has to work extra hard to compensate for tissue damaged during the heart attack, can usually lead to reduced cardiac function. The fact that there was less thickening and scarring means that the heart was recovering from the cardiac episode.
Interestingly enough, just a 5% increase in Omega-3 fatty acids in the blood was enough to provide all of the health benefits listed above.
Bottom Line
So what does all this mean? To put it simply: if you have suffered a heart attack, it’s time to start taking fish oil supplements and eating more salmon!
The study proves that fish oil supplements can help to prevent reduced cardiac function after a heart attack, and can stop the muscles of your heart from deteriorating. The fish oil will stop swelling and scarring, and can help to improve overall heart health.
Thanks to the anti-inflammatory effects of Omega-3s, it is already seen as one of the top supplements–used to treat arthritis pains, reduce the risk of cancer, fight high cholesterol levels, and now speed up healing after a heart attack.
But where can you get Omega-3s from? Aside from Omega-3 supplements (such as the ones used in the clinical trial), here are a few awesome sources of these fatty acids:
- Fish oil — Definitely the best source of Omega-3 fatty acid!
- Salmon/sardines/tuna –– Pretty much any fatty fish is going to contain a lot of Omega-3s.
- Flaxseed/flaxseed oil –– After fish, flax seeds are the next best source of these vital fatty acids.
- Walnuts –– These nuts contain more Omega-3s than any other type.
Add these foods to your diet, and speed up the recovery of your heart post-heart attack!
sources:
- https://www.newsmax.com/Health/Health-News/fish-oil-heart-attack/2015/03/05/id/628381/
- https://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-03-omega-fatty-acids-heart.html
- https://www.jcmr-online.com/content/17/S1/O7