Nothing Fishy

News Note

By Darren Buford

Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, April/May 2001.

Postmenopausal women taking fish oil supplements containing omega-3 fatty acids may be able to reduce their risk of heart disease, the leading cause of death in this group, by almost 30 percent. A study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggests these supplements can curb the production of certain fatty acids in the liver and curtail the secretion of other fatty acids into the bloodstream. The study followed postmenopausal women, aged 43–60, who were given eight capsules of fish oil a day for four weeks. Results from the study also showed that even if the women were involved in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) the above results were still consistent.