Statins, Omega-3s Lower Lipids, Reduce Cardiac Mortality

BASEL, Switzerland--Treatment with omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) reduces the risk of cardiac mortality in intervention trials better than statin drugs, according to a research review published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (165, 7:725-30, 2005). Researchers at University Hospital Basel reviewed results of 97 randomized controlled trials that compared a lipid-lowering intervention with placebo or usual diet with respect to mortality. Compared with control groups, the risk ratios for cardiac mortality decreased 22 percent for statins and 32 percent for omega-3 fatty acids, leading the researchers to proclaim the two the most favorable lipid-lowering interventions with reduced risks of overall and cardiac mortality.