People with heart problems who take a high dose of EPA, a type of fish oil, tend to have less of a dangerous type of plaque in their arteries over a year or two, while those who don’t take it tend to have more of this plaque.

For people with heart disease who are already taking statins, taking a high dose of EPA (a type of fish oil) seems to lower 'bad' cholesterol more than lower doses of other omega-3s—but even with that extra cholesterol drop, something else about EPA is still helping reduce artery plaque.

For people with heart disease who are already taking statins, taking a high dose of a specific fish oil component called EPA (at least 1,800 mg a day) may slow down the buildup of plaque in their heart arteries by about 72% over a year or two, compared to not taking any fish oil at all.

People with more of the good omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA) in their red blood cells tend to have less heart disease and do better over time if they already have heart problems.