Fish Oil

A group of 12 paid volunteers will be dining on salmon every day for 40 days and strolling through one of the most beautiful areas of this city twice daily--all in the name of science. The arrangement is part of a 100-day dietary study being conducted by the federal government to determine possible beneficial effects of fish oil consumption. Entrees will include broiled salmon with dill, salmon pate on bagels, salmon lasagna and salmon teriyaki.

P. T. Bailey was a partner in an oil field boat company--until he almost lost everything. Now he packs crabs at a brand new fish plant he started. "I was lucky to survive with my pants on," he said. A lot of people in Morgan City were lucky. While most of the Louisiana Coast has been decimated by the collapse of the oil industry, Morgan City has been staging something of a rebound. Shipyards are hiring again and working two shifts.

Federal researchers are in the final stages of selecting participants for a unique study designed to explore the relationship between diets naturally high in fish oils and blood clotting. Awaiting those chosen for the project are 100 days in virtual confinement at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Western Human Nutrition Research Center on San Francisco's Presidio. For much of that time, 40 consecutive days, the subjects will be fed salmon at both lunch and dinner.

Scientists report they have evidence that might explain why fish oil would be effective for treating diseases in which the immune system malfunctions, like rheumatoid arthritis. A fatty acid found in fish oil appears to suppress key immune system hormones, perhaps preventing the immune system from attacking the joints and other parts of the body in autoimmune diseases, the researchers found. "We think we have the mechanism as to why this may work," said Dr.

Fish oil, which has shown promise of preventing heart attacks, now appears to be the first effective way to keep heart disease patients' blood vessels open after doctors unclog them. A study involving 82 men who underwent coronary angioplasty--in which a balloon is inflated to open up the vessel--found that those who took fish oil extract before, during and after the procedure were less than half as likely to have the vessels close again, a problem known as restenosis.

Oil from cold water fish, shown by several studies to help prevent heart attacks, may work its magic by retarding a growth protein that promotes clogged arteries, a Cleveland researcher says. Paul L. Fox of the Cleveland Clinic Research Institute said that test-tube experiments showed that oil extracted from the flesh of fish that live in cold water decreases levels of a protein called the platelet-derived growth factor.

Even short-term smoking can lead to cardiovascular disease by affecting the heart-protecting high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. HDL-C is thought to play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease. For the study, researchers measured blood levels of high density lipoprotein cholesterol in children 12 to 14 in Berlin and Bremen, Germany, before they began to smoke.

Fish oil capsules, promoted as being capable of lowering cholesterol levels, may actually cause harmful side effects including internal bleeding in some individuals. The increasingly popular dietary supplements contain concentrations of omega 3s, a compound in fish that is thought to improve cardiovascular functions. Medical research has shown that omega 3s can facilitate the flow of blood to the heart by reducing accumulations of fat in arteries.

Much attention has been focused recently on the growing popularity of vitamin/mineral-fortified products and vitamin/mineral supplements as a means of promoting health. It seems many people want a "quick fix"--opting to improve their health with these products instead of building a healthy body from a wide variety of food sources. The latest development for the pill-popping generation is fish oil supplements.