%0 Journal Article
%T Recent findings on the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids and statins, and their interactions: do statins inhibit omega-3?
%A de Lorgeril Michel
%A Salen Patricia
%A Defaye Pascal
%A Rabaeus Mikael
%J BMC Medicine
%D 2013
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1741-7015-11-5
%X Early randomized controlled trials (RCTs) demonstrated the health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3), whereas recent RCTs were negative. We now address the issue, focusing on the temporal changes having occurred: most patients in recent RCTs are no longer n-3 deficient and the vast majority are now treated with statins. Recent RCTs testing n-3 against arrhythmias suggest that n-3 reduce the risk only in patients not taking a statin. Other recent RCTs in secondary prevention were negative although, in a post-hoc analysis separating statin users and non-users, non-significant protection of n-3 was observed among statin non-users whereas statin users had no effect. Recent RCTs testing statins - after the implementation of the New Clinical Trial Regulation in 2007 - are negative (or flawed) suggesting that the lack of effect of n-3 cannot be attributed to a parallel protection by statins. Finally, statins favor the metabolism of omega-6 fatty acids (n-6), which in turn inhibits n-3 and, contrary to n-3, they increase insulin resistance and the risk of diabetes. Thus, n-3 and statins are counteractive at several levels and statins appear to inhibit n-3.
%K omega-3 fatty acids
%K statins
%K ischemic heart disease
%K myocardial infarction
%K randomized clinical trials
%K epidemiology
%K mitochondria
%K insulin resistance
%K diabetes
%K n-6 fatty acids
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/11/5