Statistical surveys by scientists from the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine have proven that the use of high purity! fish oil in the form of the active ingredient icosapent-ethyl as a complementary treatment in clinical studies in people with an elevated triglyceride level can be useful in preventing cardiovascular events such as strokes and heart attacks. Patients will be advised to use high-purity fish oil products if they have proven cardiovascular disease or diabetes, or if they have other risk factors. However, there is currently only one preparation on the market that has been approved by the American FDA for reducing cardiovascular risk while simultaneously administering statin therapy. The preparation containing icosapent-ethyl is called Vascepa. According to the study, this alone reduces strokes and heart attacks by 25 percent, so that 70,000 cardiovascular events per year could be avoided in the USA if the results of the REDUCE-IT analysis were followed. Statins are drugs that lower elevated cholesterol levels and thus help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, researchers from the American university also evaluated another study that took data from NHANES studies. It turned out that other preparations containing omega-3 fatty acids did not have the desired positive effect. Other fish oil capsules also contain polyunsaturated fatty acids such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), but probably not in sufficient doses or in ineffective mixtures with other fish oils. Icosapent ethyl is a purified stable form of EPA, which is said to have antithrombotic and anti-inflammatory properties in arteriosclerosis and to lower triglyceride levels, so that, in combination with the said statin therapy, Vascepa is the only preparation proven to have preventive effects against heart attacks and strokes. The results of the studies will also be presented at the virtual conference of the ACC.20/World Congress of Cardiology from 28 to 30 March.
