March 03, 2015
The American Journal of Cardiology
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- The association between fish oil supplementation and atherothrombotic risk was examined in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients who received fish oil but not lipid-lowering therapy exhibited significantly lower levels of remnant lipoproteins, triglycerides, IDL-C, LDL-C, VLDL-C, collagen-induced platelet aggregation, AtherOx, shear elasticity, and thrombin-induced platelet–fibrin clot strength.
- The results indicate that fish oil supplementation significantly reduced atherothrombotic risk in patients with suspected CAD who were not on lipid-lowering therapy. Additional studies are needed to directly compare fish oil supplementation with lipid-lowering medication.
Abstract
Fish oil supplementation (FOS) is known to have cardiovascular benefits. However, the effects of FOS on thrombosis are incompletely understood. We sought to determine if the use of FOS is associated with lower indices of atherothrombotic risk in patients with suspected coronary artery disease (sCAD).This is a subgroup analysis of consecutive sCAD patients (n=600) enrolled in the Multi-Analyte, Thrombogenic, and Genetic Markers of Atherosclerosis (MAGMA) study. Patients on FOS were compared to patients not on FOS. Lipid profile was determined by vertical density gradient ultracentrifugation (n=520), EPA+DHA was measured by gas chromatography (n=437) and AtherOx testing was performed by immunoassay (n=343). Thromboelastography (n=419), ADP and collagen-induced platelet aggregation (n=137), and urinary 11-dehydrothromboxane B2 (11 dh-TxB2) levels (n=259) were performed immediately prior to elective coronary angiography. In the total population, FOS was associated with higher EPA+DHA content (p<0.001), lower triglycerides (p=0.04), total VLDL-C (p=0.002), IDL-C (p=0.02), and AtherOx levels (p=0.02) but not in patients on lipid-lowering therapy. Patients not on lipid-lowering therapy taking FOS had lower VLDL-C, IDL-C, remnant lipoproteins, triglycerides, LDL-C, AtherOx levels, collagen-induced platelet aggregation, thrombin-induced platelet- fibrin clot strength and shear elasticity (p