Plaque is the stuff of coronary heart disease. It is CONTROLLABLE, it is STOPPABLE, it is REVERSIBLE.
But you must be equipped with the right information on diet, nutritional supplements, and hopefully the avoidance of medication.
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In response to my post, Lovaza Rip-off, I received this angry comment:
Very high triglycerides, as you all know, is a very serious and life-threatening condition. Therefore, it is very important that any medication you take for treatment must be FDA proven and scientifically backed. This is true for a few reasons. First, there have been zero studies done to show the effects of Costco brand fish oil pills on patients with high triglycerides. So, you cannot assume, simply because the pills you are taking “claim” to have a certain amount of Omega 3 in the them, that they actually do (supplement labeling is self-submitted by the company, and not regulated by any external or 3rd party agency).
Secondly, the other components in fish oil, and maybe in Costco brand (no one knows because it isn’t on the label) can actually inhibit the bioavailablity of Omega 3, most notably, Omega 6. And, nowhere on the Costco label does it tell you how much Omega 6 is in it. We also cannot underestimate the importance of purity with these compounds: a top selling brand of fish oil found stores like CVS was recently recalled because it was found to have large amounts of fire retardant in it! These supplements are NOT regulated by the FDA.
Thirdly, be careful when you compare costs. The cost of hospitalization due to acute pancreatitis (a risk of very high triglycerides) far outweighs the cost of taking Lovaza for even several years. If you have a real disease, you need a real drug. And, until Costco does a prospective long-term clinical trial to show that it lowers triglycerides, it should not be used in place of Lovaza.
Finally, I am a living example of how taking a high-potency supplement form of Omega 3 barely lowered my triglycerides, yet within 2 weeks of being on Lovaza there was a significant difference. I am now at my goal. So, before you knock a company, that, in my opinion, has saved my life, please do your research and do not mislead people into thinking that an Omega 3 is an Omega 3 is an Omega 3. If your insurance covers the most potent, the most pure, and the ONLY proven Omega 3 pill on the market, you should be thankful.
The comment was posted anonymously, so I don’t know who it came from. But I can tell who I think it is: Someone who works for the drug industry.
This is a common phenomenon: Large corporations are fearful of the comments that are generated on internet conversations and other media. On the internet, there are actually people whose job it is to do “damage control.” I suspect this came from one of them.
Why bother? Surely there are better things to do? Well, that’s easy. There are billions of dollars at stake. Lovaza, in particular, is sold on the perception that it is somehow superior. If word gets out that maybe you can achieve the same results at a fraction of the cost . . .
Perhaps the “commenter” should also question whether omega-3 fatty acids can come from eating fish.
As part of my cardiology practice, I provide consultation on complex hyperlipidemias, or unusual lipid abnormalities. I have many patients with something called familial hypertriglyceridemia, a genetic condition that permits triglyceride levels of 500, 1000, even many thousands of mg/dl, levels that, as the anonymous commenter points out, can be dangerous.
I virtually never prescribe Lovaza for these people. In their treatment program, I use simple fish oil supplements, such as that from Costco, Sam’s Club, or other retailers. I have not witnessed a single failure in treating these people and reducing triglycerides. People with lesser triglyceride abnormalities likewise respond very nicely to inexpensive fish oil that we can buy at the health food store. (I do rely on useful services like Consumer Reports and www.consumerlab.com to reassure us that no pesticide residues, mercury, or other contaminants are in the brands we use.) Excellent, high-quality fish oil supplements are sold by Carlson, Life Extension, Barlean’s, even the Members’ Mark brand from Sam’s Club.
So, the notion that only prescription fish oil is capable of reducing triglycerides is, in a word, nonsense.
Take that back to your CEO.
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We’re missing this:
the peroxidation is what allows the liver to abort the production of VLDL/triglycerides and through the subsequent delipidation cascade the other particles that would result. See my post above!
The plaque composition and reduction of cardiovascular events “probably” due to it affecting the omega balances (6:3) and therefore the eicosanoid production.
I take generic, enteric-coated fish oil. The one I buy has some tocopherols (to prevent peroxidation).
The anon poster made a grave mistake fish oil is not a “drug” it is a food!
The only advantage to Lovaza I can see, assuming the patient gets sealed bottles of the stuff, is the reduction in pills daily. And I guess that’d be good for those with stomach issues where they can’t tolerate too many pills a day. Although even there we are only talking about like 1 or 2 less capsules daily.
What would be interesting are studies comparing high dose capsules vs low dose in patients, and see if there is any difference in outcomes. I am curious if Dr. Davis has noticed any difference between patients on fish oil with higher omega 3 content (ex: 600mg/capsule vs 300mg/capsule). In theory, the additional non-EPA/DHA fats in the capsule of lower strength fish oils could have some negative effects. But without studies, who knows?
Same with the forms of fish oil, which tend to be ignored. Are ethyl esters as effective as triglyceride forms? The current studies are mixed… some show no difference, some show the triglyceride form of Omega 3s absorbing a lot better.
For Lovaza to back up any of their claims, they need to do a head-to-head study with a good OTC fish oil, say like Carlson’s or Nordic Naturals. But we know that’ll never happen. Generic Lovaza may hit the market by years end too, depending on what the courts rule, which will be weird. Companies like the ones I mentioned above, or Meg-3, could cash in by licensing with a drug maker and just reselling their OTC fish oil as a new ‘drug’. Which would completely obliterate any notion that Lovaza is different than OTC fish oils too.
I am prescribed Lovaza, though it’s called Omacor here in the UK. I used to buy my fish oils from the health food store and it was costing me around £25 ($36) per month – obviously fish oils are much dearer in the UK – so I asked my cardiologist to prescribe me Omacor and he did. My prescriptions are free of charge under the National Health Service so I’m now getting my fish oils for free.
I was very puzzled that the manufacturers say not to store Omacor in the refrigerator and on pressing them, saying that in the summer I could not be sure that the temperature in my house would stay under 25 C they conceded that I could store the Omacor in the fridge: “If you feel that a temperature rise may affect your Omacor, then it is possible to store the product in the fridge.” !
Anne
Has anyone found differences between brands (or between the same brand at different times, they may come from different sources) in their palatabily?
I tend to feel bloated and get fishy belches with the capsules I’ve tried (not Costco or Lovasa but various OTC and mail order types) which doesn’t happen with the whole fish, except for elderly mackerel or stale kippers. You don’t know how old the capsules might be or how they’ve been stored.
My theory is, by reducing the carbs and Omega 6s a lower dose of Omega 3s will probably work. I’ll let you know if I’m right or not after I’m dead (grins)
Michael said: “The argument that the vitamin industry is self-regulated and answers to nobody is genuine.”
Comment: Some easily identifiable companies self-regulation is far superior than the FDA’s regulation of drug companies Michael considering the FDA’s record on such matters. If one were to take the time to look for reliable providers of high-quality supplements they would be far ahead of the game and have zero the risk of the myriad of side effects caused by pharmaceutical drugs which are often times rehashed toxic byproducts of the manufacturing process put in pill form instead of being paid for to dispose of.
Michael said:” Look what happened to the financial industry with self regulated derivative products!”
Comment: Relevance?
Michael said: “Given a choice between lab-tested Lovaza and an off-the-shelf fish oil that has no oversight for their claims … I’ll have to go with the Lovaza.
Comment: Have at it Michael and take with it the dozens of risks for side effects that go with it vs. the safety of the fish oil supplements.
Michael said: “My triglycerides were 800+ … now they are 300. My physician said, with triglycerides that high, I can’t take the chance of getting a dud bottle of vitamins.”
Comment: Just what you would expect from a doctor who is PROGRAMMED to view vitamins or other nutritional supplements as worthless from YEARS of programming efforts by Big Pharma and virtually no classes on Orthomolecular medicine which has been widely studied for decades upon decades with great results and few risks at even high levels of dosing to deal with serious nutritional deficiencies (aka-”chemical” imbalances).
Chalk another one up to the propoganda machine Michael – you seem to have bought in hook line and sinker or maybe you’re just a paid propogandist?
In health and in truth,
Bill
Anne… I must pick at a nit. Yu said:
My prescriptions are free of charge under the National Health Service so I’m now getting my fish oils for free.
They are far from free. I understand you do not seem to have to pay for them, but we are all paying, even on this side of the sea, for the “free percriptions” folks receive.
Hi Capslock,
The money I am charged in my taxes goes towards the cost of the National Health Service so from that point of view my prescriptions are not free, but I am paying my taxes regardless of whether I buy the fish oils from the health food store or get them at no cost on prescription. Since the fish oils are *extremely* expensive from the health food store and since I pay my taxes this seems the best deal to me.
Anne
Hi Capslock, a PS to my previous message – I’m thinking you must be thinking that the UK system is similar to the American one and that only low income people don’t pay prescription charges ? No, everyone under 18 and over 60 gets their prescriptions free, and anyone who has one of certain chronic conditions gets them free too, doesn’t matter what your income is or even if you’re a millionaire !
If I did pay for my prescriptions then the maximum charge for anyone is £7.20 per prescription, no matter the price of the medicine, no matter the income of the patient….and £7.20 for a prescription of Omacor fish oils is still much cheaper than buying fish oils from the health food store !
Anne
Thanks for this informative post