Fish oil, with its high concentration of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), has proven very effective in reducing mortality and admission to hospital for cardiovascular reasons in patients with heart failure, according to a study published online in the medical journal The Lancet on Sunday.

Another article, based on the same Gruppo Italiano di Studio della Sopravvivenza nella Insufficienza cardiac-Heart Failure study, has found that statin treatment with rosuvastatin does not help patients with chronic heart failure. The study, carried out in Italy, together with the two articles, were presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Munich, Germany.

Both articles are written by Professor Luigi Tavazzi and Professor Gianni Tognoni , GISSI-HF Coordinating Centre, ANMCO Research Centre, Florence, Italy and Mario Negri Institute, Milan, Italy and colleagues.

In late July, a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that middle-aged men in Japan, who participated in the research, had twice the blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids and lower levels of atherosclerosis compared to Japanese men or white men living in the US.

Previous studies suggest that that omega-3s can also help with major depression, schizophrenia, and postpartum depression. Eating fish is also a good way to improve brain power. Omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which is found in fish oil, raises the production of LR11, a protein which exists at excessively low levels among Alzheimer’s disease patients. LR11 is known to destroy the protein that forms the plaques linked to the disease.

Fish oil and its significant component, omega-3 fatty acids – the “good fats” that help maintain optimal brain function – have been a bastion of alternative health practitioners for years and have been sanctioned by the American Heart Association to decrease the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.