Contrary to conventional wisdom, fish oil supplements are not particularly helpful to cardiac patients who are already receiving optimal medical care, according to a team of German researchers.

Dr. Jochen Senges of the Heart Centre in Ludwigshafen and the University of Heidelberg in Germany said that omega-3 fatty acid supplements had no additional protective effect for heart attack patients receiving treatment.

The findings from the OMEGA-Trial were presented at the American College of Cardiology's 58th Annual Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Florida, and reported in the Cardiology Today journal.

The data contradict that of previous studies, which have suggested that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation improves prognosis and long-term survival after a major heart attack.

Dr. Senges cautioned that his team's findings are preliminary and that further study is necessary.

The Heidelberg study entailed 3,827 patients (mean age, 64 years; three-fourths of them men) who received omega-3 fatty acids or a placebo within two weeks of having suffered a serious heart attack.

Senges stressed that all of the patients were receiving optimal post-heart attack medical care, independent of the fish oil supplements.

Sudden cardiac death rate improved after one year, but there was no difference between patients who took omega-3 acid supplements and those taking the placebo.

"It would be incorrect to say that omega-3 fatty acids are not effective, but we could not find any additional benefits after optimizing medical therapy," Senges reported.