Omega 3 And Statins Reduces Triglycerides

The individuals taking part were all assessed to be at a high risk of cardiovascular disease and all had elevated triglyceride levels. They were also receiving Statins to reduce cholesterol. Each of them received fish oil of either 2 gr or 4 gr daily or a placebo. The results revealed that those on the highest dose of EPA fish oil saw an average reduction of triglyceride levels of 22 percent/had the biggest reduction of triglyceride levels.

The results of this came from the ANCHOR trial, which was a study sponsored by Amarin, the company which is developing AMR101 a highly purified form of EPA fish oil.The Anchor study involved patients who were older (average age 61). Around 73 percent had diabetes, 30 percent were on a "high" efficacy statin regimen, 68 percent were on a "medium" efficacy regimen and 7 percent were on a "low" efficacy regimen.

The results revealed that those who had the highest triglyceride levels at the start of the trial and who were on the high efficacy regimen experienced the most significant reductions in triglyceride levels. The real health benefits from a reduction in triglyceride levels won't be clear until the results come in from a longer study that is only just starting said Professor Christie Ballantyne from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Professor Ballantyne also indicated at the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association that he thinks the odds of fish oil working are greater than other treatments but acknowledged that no one has carried out a trial specifically on patients with high triglyceride levels.

Amarin is soon to start the clinical end point trial REDUCE IT (Reduction of Cardiovascular Events with EPA Intervention Trial) which will last for the next 6 years. This trial will involve some 8,000 peopl with elevated triglyceride levels. The results of this trial will offer a clearer indication of the benefits of EPA fish oil for reducing cardiac events.

Another study conducted previously known as the JELIS study (Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study), involving over 19,000 people some with and some free from heart disease but with high cholesterol levels found that those who took statins along with omega 3 had a reduced risk of having a major coronary event than those who were only taking Statins with no fish oil. Although the JELIS study didn't focus on patients with high triglyceride levels, but on those with high cholesterol levels, the results show that fish oil had a protective effect on coronary events.

More than 9,000 of those in the JELIS study received a purified form of EPA which was much the same kind of fish oil as ARM101 along with statins and the rest just had their statins alone. After a follow up over 4 and a half years later, those who were taking a combination of statins and EPA had a reduced incidence of suffering a major coronary event when compared to those taking just statins.

There is no concrete evidence that elevated triglyceride levels actually increases the risk of coronary events and the JELIS study is currently the only documented evidence that EPA fish oil reduces the risk of coronary events. The soon to begin REDUCE IT study will no doubt reveal more.

Amarin has recently announced that it has filed an application with the FDA for marketing approval for AMR101, for treating elevated triglyceride levels largely because of the ANCHOR trial and a similar trial known as the MARINE trial (Multicenter Placebo Controlled Randomised Double Blind 12 week study with an open label extension trial). The MARINE trial involved over two hundred individuals with high triglyceride levels who were given a 4 gram dose or a 2 gram dose a day of AMR101 or a placebo. The results of this trial revealed that after a period of 12 weeks there was a noteable reduction in triglyceride levels when taking Omega 3.

According to Professor Ballantyne, who says he already prescribes EPA fish oil to some of his patients, numerous studies over many years have shown fish oil to be well tolerated and safe to use with very few side effects.

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