Can fish oil pills stop heart plaque from growing?
Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Coronary Plaque Morphology - A Serial Computed Tomography Angiography Study.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
High-dose EPA reduced plaque progression even when LDL cholesterol levels didn’t differ significantly from low-dose groups.
Everyone assumes statins and fish oil work by lowering LDL—but here, EPA’s benefit happened independently of LDL changes, suggesting it works through anti-inflammatory or plaque-stabilizing mechanisms.
Practical Takeaways
If you've had a heart attack, ask your doctor about switching to or adding high-dose EPA (≥1,800 mg/day) alongside your statin.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
High-dose EPA reduced plaque progression even when LDL cholesterol levels didn’t differ significantly from low-dose groups.
Everyone assumes statins and fish oil work by lowering LDL—but here, EPA’s benefit happened independently of LDL changes, suggesting it works through anti-inflammatory or plaque-stabilizing mechanisms.
Practical Takeaways
If you've had a heart attack, ask your doctor about switching to or adding high-dose EPA (≥1,800 mg/day) alongside your statin.
Publication
Journal
Circulation journal : official journal of the Japanese Circulation Society
Year
2021
Authors
S. Motoyama, Y. Nagahara, M. Sarai, H. Kawai, K. Miyajima, Yoshihiro Sato, Ryota Matsumoto, Hiroshi Takahashi, H. Naruse, J. Ishii, Y. Ozaki, H. Izawa
Related Content
Claims (6)
Taking omega-3 supplements may help slow down the buildup of fatty plaques in your arteries by lowering bad fats in your blood, preventing clots, and calming down inflammation in your blood vessels.
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.
If a heart scan shows dangerous plaque buildup, it’s likely that the plaque will keep growing over time in people who’ve had a heart attack or similar heart event—even if they’re managing other risk factors like cholesterol or blood pressure.
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.