Fish Oil & Clots

Back in the Stone Age when I was an undergrad, we used to think of heart disease as resulting from the gradual stenosis of the lumen from plaque piled upon cholesterol-laden plaque.  Enlightened now after more than 3 decades of research, we now know that acute coronary syndromes occur when unstable plaque ruptures and leads to acute vessel blockage.  That's why we recommend aspirin and other agents especially to those who've already suffered a heart attack and/or had a stent placed - we want to minimize the risk of yet another errant clot.

Well, in a small randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study published 2 months early, authors gave 1g fish oil (Omacor brand consisting of 460mg EPA + 380mg DHA) to 30 patients and placebo to 24 others, all who'd already had a stent placed and were already taking dual anti-platelet therapy.  After just 1 month, the researchers were able to demonstrate a statistically significant difference anti-thrombin (clot) effects.  While this is disease-oriented evidence rather than the patient-oriented evidence that I would prefer, it's definitely something to consider & discuss w/your physician.