Fish Oil Fights Coagulation Factors in Heart Disease

MAASTRICHT, Netherlands—Supplementation with fish oil can help address high fasting triglycerol concentrations and thrombin generation, dangerous in cardiovascular disease (CVD) because of procoagulant activities. The findings were from a study led by researchers from Maastricht University, who were investigating the mechanisms of fish oil's reduction of CVD (J Nutr. 137:7-13, 2007).

Researchers performed two intervention studies on fish oil's effect on decreasing plasma lipids and anticoagulant activity in subjects at risk of CVD complications. In the first trial, 54 overweight subjects consumed 3.1 g/d fish oil; the second study involved 42 overweight patients with type 2 diabetes—20 subjects consumed omega-3 fish oil, while the other 22 subjects took a preparation rich in omega-6s. Tissue factor-induced thrombin generation (thrombin potential) was determined as an integrated measure of plasma coagulant activity. In both studies, multivariate analysis indicated a strong clustering of fasting concentrations of triacylglycerols, prothrombin, factor V, factor VII and factor X with one another at baseline. Prothrombin and triacylglycerol concentrations were the main determinants of thrombin variation.

Results showed, in both healthy subjects and diabetes patients, high triacylglycerol concentrations (>1.69 mmol/L) at baseline were closely correlated to a strong fish oil–induced lowering of triacylglycerol and coagulation factor V, VII and X concentrations, and thrombin generation. The researchers concluded high fasting triacylglycerol concentrations predict high procoagulant activity, and fish oil reduces thrombin generation by addressing triglycerol and other coagulation factors.

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