Click to hear Trevor's Pharmacy Feature-Audio Segment
Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM
Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Pinkeye
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
So, over Easter my sister-in-law looked at my son, Eric and said, “He has pinkeye! You have to keep him home from daycare you know!” Now, you should know that my sister-in-law is a daycare worker or Early Childhood Educator and does see a lot of three year old eyeballs. But, to be honest, it sure seemed like she knew more about pinkeye than I did, so it was time for some research.
The medical term for pinkeye is infectious conjunctivitis. Infectious conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane which runs to the edge of the cornea and also covers the moist back surface of the eyelids. The infection can be caused by a bacteria or viruses. Both types are highly contagious. That is why children in daycare with pinkeye should be kept at home while it is treated.
How do you tell if someone has pinkeye? Often the eye will feel irritated or scratchy and bright light may feel painful. The white of the eye turns pink as the blood vessels in the conjunctiva become bigger or dilated. Often a discharge appears. In our family they are called “eye goobies”. The discharge can cause the person’s eye to stick shut, especially at night. The discharge can cause the vision to blur, but it gets better with blinking. If the blurry vision doesn’t get better with blinking, this can be an infection of the cornea, and this is more serious.
What should you do if you think someone has pinkeye? Go see the doctor especially if the patient is a young child in school or daycare. Most cases of pinkeye will go away on their own. The patient and the caregiver should take extra precautions to avoid spreading the infection. This means lots of hand washing, keeping the wash cloth used on the infected eye away from everyone else in the house, and not touching the infected eye and then touching the uninfected eye.
The doctor may prescribe antibiotic drops for pinkeye. Antibiotic drops will only be helpful if the infection is caused by a bacteria, not a virus, but it can be very difficult for the doctor to tell the two apart.
So I sent my son to the walk-in clinic to get his eye looked at. His eye had no discharge at the time and wasn't pink. The doctor determined he had an ear infection, a throat infection and maybe something wrong with his chest, but his eyes seemed to be okay. Eric was put on oral antibiotics and we sent him to daycare. Later that day, the daycare called because Eric had a fever and more discharge from the eye. So we went back to walk-in. This time the doctor added on an antibiotic eye drop. And the doctor reminded me "eye-goobies" wasn't found in the medical dictionary.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
So, over Easter my sister-in-law looked at my son, Eric and said, “He has pinkeye! You have to keep him home from daycare you know!” Now, you should know that my sister-in-law is a daycare worker or Early Childhood Educator and does see a lot of three year old eyeballs. But, to be honest, it sure seemed like she knew more about pinkeye than I did, so it was time for some research.
The medical term for pinkeye is infectious conjunctivitis. Infectious conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane which runs to the edge of the cornea and also covers the moist back surface of the eyelids. The infection can be caused by a bacteria or viruses. Both types are highly contagious. That is why children in daycare with pinkeye should be kept at home while it is treated.
How do you tell if someone has pinkeye? Often the eye will feel irritated or scratchy and bright light may feel painful. The white of the eye turns pink as the blood vessels in the conjunctiva become bigger or dilated. Often a discharge appears. In our family they are called “eye goobies”. The discharge can cause the person’s eye to stick shut, especially at night. The discharge can cause the vision to blur, but it gets better with blinking. If the blurry vision doesn’t get better with blinking, this can be an infection of the cornea, and this is more serious.
What should you do if you think someone has pinkeye? Go see the doctor especially if the patient is a young child in school or daycare. Most cases of pinkeye will go away on their own. The patient and the caregiver should take extra precautions to avoid spreading the infection. This means lots of hand washing, keeping the wash cloth used on the infected eye away from everyone else in the house, and not touching the infected eye and then touching the uninfected eye.
The doctor may prescribe antibiotic drops for pinkeye. Antibiotic drops will only be helpful if the infection is caused by a bacteria, not a virus, but it can be very difficult for the doctor to tell the two apart.
So I sent my son to the walk-in clinic to get his eye looked at. His eye had no discharge at the time and wasn't pink. The doctor determined he had an ear infection, a throat infection and maybe something wrong with his chest, but his eyes seemed to be okay. Eric was put on oral antibiotics and we sent him to daycare. Later that day, the daycare called because Eric had a fever and more discharge from the eye. So we went back to walk-in. This time the doctor added on an antibiotic eye drop. And the doctor reminded me "eye-goobies" wasn't found in the medical dictionary.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Prediabetes
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
Have you ever listened to John Mellencamp? In his song “Cherry Bomb” there is a line that goes, “…Seventeen has turned 35. I’m surprised we’re still living!...” I remember being younger than 17 when that song came out. I am now older than 35. I have been feeling old lately and wondering about what will happen to my health. So I was concerned when I read about a condition that seemed to have my name written all over it. It was called Prediabetes.
Prediabetes means your blood sugar is higher than normal, but you aren’t diabetic yet. So what are the numbers for prediabetes? The Canadian Diabetes Association 2008 Clinical Practice Guidelines are a little wishy-washy. In fact they call prediabetes a “practical and convenient term for impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).” They say if your fasting blood sugar is between 6.1 and 7.0 you have prediabetes. But right in the guidelines they admit there isn’t really any world wide consensus on the numbers. You might be at risk for diabetes all the way from a fasting blood sugar of 5.6 to 7.0. If your fasting blood sugar is greater than 7.0, you have actual diabetes.
What else puts you at risk for getting diabetes? You are at risk for type 2 diabetes if you are over 40 years old, you have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes, you had diabetes when you were pregnant or you are overweight, especially around your middle.
So as a male approaching 40, who has too many chocolate easter eggs around my middle, am I headed towards prediabetes? Maybe. Should I be afraid? That is a little harder to nail down. We know that risks of things like heart attacks, strokes, eye problems and kidney problems increase as your blood sugar goes up from 5.6 to 7. That is the zone of prediabetes plus that grey area from 5.6 to 6.0. But it isn’t clear whether the risk is from my sugar going up or from other things that may be going on at the same time like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides.
I have to say I don’t really like the term “prediabetes”. We used to tell people they were “border-line diabetics” and I still have customers tell me they have a “touch of diabetes”. These terms led to a lot of confusion. People who believe they are “border-line diabetics” don’t seem to like taking their medications because they don’t really have “full blown” diabetes. “Border-line” diabetics seem to be less likely to follow their diabetic meal plans. I have been known to tell people that being “border-line diabetic” is like being a little bit pregnant. You either are diabetic or you are not. I guess the point of prediabetes is that if you have it, you are at greater risk of developing diabetes. I guess it’s like saying if you don’t use birth control you are at greater risk of developing pregnancy.
So what can I do if I have prediabetes? Don’t panic. You don’t have diabetes. Not everyone with prediabetes will get diabetes. If you have been told you have prediabetes, maybe it is time to look at your lifestyle. Two studies, the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study and the Diabetes Prevention Program showed that a low calorie diet with reduced fat intake and 150 minutes of exercise per week reduced the number of people who went from prediabetes to diabetes by 58% over four years. The part I found interesting was the people in the study didn’t necessarily lose a lot of weight. So you shouldn’t give up on your healthy eating and exercise program just because you don’t lose fifty pounds. Eating well and exercise are good for you even if the weight loss is modest.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
Have you ever listened to John Mellencamp? In his song “Cherry Bomb” there is a line that goes, “…Seventeen has turned 35. I’m surprised we’re still living!...” I remember being younger than 17 when that song came out. I am now older than 35. I have been feeling old lately and wondering about what will happen to my health. So I was concerned when I read about a condition that seemed to have my name written all over it. It was called Prediabetes.
Prediabetes means your blood sugar is higher than normal, but you aren’t diabetic yet. So what are the numbers for prediabetes? The Canadian Diabetes Association 2008 Clinical Practice Guidelines are a little wishy-washy. In fact they call prediabetes a “practical and convenient term for impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT).” They say if your fasting blood sugar is between 6.1 and 7.0 you have prediabetes. But right in the guidelines they admit there isn’t really any world wide consensus on the numbers. You might be at risk for diabetes all the way from a fasting blood sugar of 5.6 to 7.0. If your fasting blood sugar is greater than 7.0, you have actual diabetes.
What else puts you at risk for getting diabetes? You are at risk for type 2 diabetes if you are over 40 years old, you have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes, you had diabetes when you were pregnant or you are overweight, especially around your middle.
So as a male approaching 40, who has too many chocolate easter eggs around my middle, am I headed towards prediabetes? Maybe. Should I be afraid? That is a little harder to nail down. We know that risks of things like heart attacks, strokes, eye problems and kidney problems increase as your blood sugar goes up from 5.6 to 7. That is the zone of prediabetes plus that grey area from 5.6 to 6.0. But it isn’t clear whether the risk is from my sugar going up or from other things that may be going on at the same time like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high triglycerides.
I have to say I don’t really like the term “prediabetes”. We used to tell people they were “border-line diabetics” and I still have customers tell me they have a “touch of diabetes”. These terms led to a lot of confusion. People who believe they are “border-line diabetics” don’t seem to like taking their medications because they don’t really have “full blown” diabetes. “Border-line” diabetics seem to be less likely to follow their diabetic meal plans. I have been known to tell people that being “border-line diabetic” is like being a little bit pregnant. You either are diabetic or you are not. I guess the point of prediabetes is that if you have it, you are at greater risk of developing diabetes. I guess it’s like saying if you don’t use birth control you are at greater risk of developing pregnancy.
So what can I do if I have prediabetes? Don’t panic. You don’t have diabetes. Not everyone with prediabetes will get diabetes. If you have been told you have prediabetes, maybe it is time to look at your lifestyle. Two studies, the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study and the Diabetes Prevention Program showed that a low calorie diet with reduced fat intake and 150 minutes of exercise per week reduced the number of people who went from prediabetes to diabetes by 58% over four years. The part I found interesting was the people in the study didn’t necessarily lose a lot of weight. So you shouldn’t give up on your healthy eating and exercise program just because you don’t lose fifty pounds. Eating well and exercise are good for you even if the weight loss is modest.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Gout - AUDIO
Click to hear Trevor's Pharmacy Feature-Audio Segment
Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM
Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM
Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Friday, April 10, 2009
GOUT
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
As usual, the best ideas I get for these articles comes from our customers. I had someone come up to the drive-thru and ask me what I knew about the new gout pill. I had to admit I didn’t know anything about any new gout pill and I would look into it. When I did a little research I also found some recent information about Vitamin C and gout. Let’s talk a little bit about what gout is first.
A gout attack or acute gouty arthritis happens when uric acid comes out of solution and crystals form in the joints or tissue. Uric acid is a normal ingredient in your blood that is formed by the normal break down of cells. Uric acid is also formed when you eat proteins with purine in them. Foods high in purine include anchovies, asparagus, consommé, herring, meat gravies, mushrooms, mussels, organ meats, sardines and sweetbreads. Usually in gout there is an imbalance in how much uric acid is formed from your diet and how fast your kidneys can eliminate it. So, if you eat a lot of purine rich foods and drink a lot of alcohol (alcohol causes your body to make more uric acid and your kidneys to eliminate less) you could get gout. Or if your kidneys don’t eliminate uric acid very well, you could get gout. Or if you inherited a gene that causes your body to make way too much uric acid you could get gout.
Symptoms of gout can happen suddenly. Most often you get a very sore joint suddenly. It often happens in the joint of the big toe, and often happens at night. The pain becomes worse and worse especially when touched or moved. The joint can get inflamed, swollen and warm and the joint can look red or purplish.
So what do we try to do if someone complains of gout? First send them to the doctor to make the diagnosis. The doctor will then give them a prescription for something like indomethacin. That will reduce the pain and reduce the inflammation and hopefully make the current attack go away. If a patient has several attacks per year, the doctor will then consider giving them something to reduce the number of attacks. That will usually be a drug called allopurinol. Allopurinol reduces the amount of uric acid your body produces. If you take it every day you will reduce the chance of your next attack. Allopurinol will not help reduce the pain in your current attack.
So what about Vitamin C and gout? Several studies have shown that high doses of Vitamin C reduce the patient's uric acid levels. However, that is not the same as reducing incidents of gout. So a group from Vancouver published a study in the March 9/09 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. They followed a group of 46,994 men who didn't have gout from 1986 to 2006. They gave the men periodic questionnaires to determine if they had developed gout and how much vitamin C they took. The researchers found the more Vitamin C the men took, the less chance there was that they would develop gout.
This is interesting, but there were some limitations of the study. Studies with questionnaires are considered weaker than double blind placebo controlled trials, and the researchers didn't confirm the patients had gout by finding uric acid crystals in the joint fluid.
There is a new drug to reduce uric acid levels now available in the US. It is called Uloric or febuxastat. It may reduce uric acid levels better than allopurinol. It is not available in Canada yet. Also since it is a new drug, it will probably be more expensive than allopurinol if it becomes available here. The reason it seems to have made the news is its manufacturer claims it is the first new treatment for gout that the FDA has approved in 40 years.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
As usual, the best ideas I get for these articles comes from our customers. I had someone come up to the drive-thru and ask me what I knew about the new gout pill. I had to admit I didn’t know anything about any new gout pill and I would look into it. When I did a little research I also found some recent information about Vitamin C and gout. Let’s talk a little bit about what gout is first.
A gout attack or acute gouty arthritis happens when uric acid comes out of solution and crystals form in the joints or tissue. Uric acid is a normal ingredient in your blood that is formed by the normal break down of cells. Uric acid is also formed when you eat proteins with purine in them. Foods high in purine include anchovies, asparagus, consommé, herring, meat gravies, mushrooms, mussels, organ meats, sardines and sweetbreads. Usually in gout there is an imbalance in how much uric acid is formed from your diet and how fast your kidneys can eliminate it. So, if you eat a lot of purine rich foods and drink a lot of alcohol (alcohol causes your body to make more uric acid and your kidneys to eliminate less) you could get gout. Or if your kidneys don’t eliminate uric acid very well, you could get gout. Or if you inherited a gene that causes your body to make way too much uric acid you could get gout.
Symptoms of gout can happen suddenly. Most often you get a very sore joint suddenly. It often happens in the joint of the big toe, and often happens at night. The pain becomes worse and worse especially when touched or moved. The joint can get inflamed, swollen and warm and the joint can look red or purplish.
So what do we try to do if someone complains of gout? First send them to the doctor to make the diagnosis. The doctor will then give them a prescription for something like indomethacin. That will reduce the pain and reduce the inflammation and hopefully make the current attack go away. If a patient has several attacks per year, the doctor will then consider giving them something to reduce the number of attacks. That will usually be a drug called allopurinol. Allopurinol reduces the amount of uric acid your body produces. If you take it every day you will reduce the chance of your next attack. Allopurinol will not help reduce the pain in your current attack.
So what about Vitamin C and gout? Several studies have shown that high doses of Vitamin C reduce the patient's uric acid levels. However, that is not the same as reducing incidents of gout. So a group from Vancouver published a study in the March 9/09 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. They followed a group of 46,994 men who didn't have gout from 1986 to 2006. They gave the men periodic questionnaires to determine if they had developed gout and how much vitamin C they took. The researchers found the more Vitamin C the men took, the less chance there was that they would develop gout.
This is interesting, but there were some limitations of the study. Studies with questionnaires are considered weaker than double blind placebo controlled trials, and the researchers didn't confirm the patients had gout by finding uric acid crystals in the joint fluid.
There is a new drug to reduce uric acid levels now available in the US. It is called Uloric or febuxastat. It may reduce uric acid levels better than allopurinol. It is not available in Canada yet. Also since it is a new drug, it will probably be more expensive than allopurinol if it becomes available here. The reason it seems to have made the news is its manufacturer claims it is the first new treatment for gout that the FDA has approved in 40 years.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
Monday, April 06, 2009
Omega-3 AUDIO
Click to hear Trevor's Pharmacy Feature-Audio Segment
Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM
Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Thanks to all the good people at the Parkland's Best Music 730 CKDM
Return to Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy site
Friday, April 03, 2009
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
By Trevor Shewfelt, Pharmacist at the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
I am usually telling people to be careful of about natural health products because some of the claims are a little extravagant. Well this time, I am excited about Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are not new. They’ve been around for years. The interesting thing is now they are be made and promoted by the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world, Pfizer. Pfizer made their Omega-3 a behind the counter product, so you have to ask your pharmacist for it.
Let’s start with some fatty acid terms. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are called essential fatty acids because your body can’t make them. You have to eat them. In Canada, our usual diet contains lots of Omega-6 fatty acids, but not much Omega-3. So, you definitely don’t need to buy an Omega-6 supplement. In fact some people think Omega-6 promotes inflammation, so too much of it could be harmful.
What are Omega-3 fatty acids good for? Omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA can prevent heart disease. They can reduce at type of fat in the blood called triglycerides. They may help rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, depression and other conditions, but this evidence isn’t as strong.
There are different kinds of Omega-3 fatty acids. The three you will hear about the most are alpha-linolenic acid (AHA), eicaspentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA). AHA occurs in flax oil and walnuts. Although AHA has some health benefits, it is the EPA and DHA which are found in fish oils seem to be the most potent for heart health.
What is the best way to get Omega-3 fatty acids with EPA/DHA? You should eating fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines. The American Heart Association recommends everyone eat at least two fatty fish meals (baked or broiled) weekly for good heart health. People who have heart disease should eat fatty fish daily.
One of the potential problems about eating lots of fish is mercury contamination. So, women who are pregnant, may become pregnant or breast feeding and young children should limit their intake of fatty fish. One more concern with fish oil is blood thinning. Fish oil can slightly increase your risk of bleeding if you take more than 3 grams per day. To be safe, if you are on blood thinners like asa, warfarin,or plavix, talk to your doctor before taking fish oil.
The magic amount of fish oil seems to be 1g or 1000 mg per day of total DHA+EPA. That works out to about 1.5-2.5 ounces of salmon, 2-3 ounces of sardines or 12 ounces of tuna (light, canned in water and drained). If we are trying to lower triglycerides, we may need more than 3 grams of Omega-3 per day.
So if you don’t like eating fish, can you get your Omega-3 with EPA/DHA in it from supplements? Well if you don’t have any heart disease, the evidence still points to eating fish as your best alternative. If you have had a previous heart attack, there was an interesting Italian study in 2001 called GISSI-Prevnzione that says that adding 1 g of Omega-3 capsules per day will reduce your chance of dying a little bit even if you are already following a proper diet, and taking the proper post heart attack medications.
So, most of us should just eat more fish. Omega-3 supplements may be helpful, but we aren’t sure. And, although I am really quite excited by these new supplements from Pfizer, remember Vitamin E. Five years ago I would have told you Vitamin E was great for your heart, but now we don’t think so. The interesting looking research has led me astray before.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
We now have this and most other articles published in the Parkland Shopper on our Website. Please visit us at www.dcp.ca
The information in this article is intended as a helpful guide only. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice. If you have any questions about your medications and what is right for you see your doctor, pharmacist or other health care professional.
I am usually telling people to be careful of about natural health products because some of the claims are a little extravagant. Well this time, I am excited about Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are not new. They’ve been around for years. The interesting thing is now they are be made and promoted by the biggest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world, Pfizer. Pfizer made their Omega-3 a behind the counter product, so you have to ask your pharmacist for it.
Let’s start with some fatty acid terms. Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids are called essential fatty acids because your body can’t make them. You have to eat them. In Canada, our usual diet contains lots of Omega-6 fatty acids, but not much Omega-3. So, you definitely don’t need to buy an Omega-6 supplement. In fact some people think Omega-6 promotes inflammation, so too much of it could be harmful.
What are Omega-3 fatty acids good for? Omega-3 fatty acids, especially EPA and DHA can prevent heart disease. They can reduce at type of fat in the blood called triglycerides. They may help rheumatoid arthritis, high blood pressure, depression and other conditions, but this evidence isn’t as strong.
There are different kinds of Omega-3 fatty acids. The three you will hear about the most are alpha-linolenic acid (AHA), eicaspentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA). AHA occurs in flax oil and walnuts. Although AHA has some health benefits, it is the EPA and DHA which are found in fish oils seem to be the most potent for heart health.
What is the best way to get Omega-3 fatty acids with EPA/DHA? You should eating fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines. The American Heart Association recommends everyone eat at least two fatty fish meals (baked or broiled) weekly for good heart health. People who have heart disease should eat fatty fish daily.
One of the potential problems about eating lots of fish is mercury contamination. So, women who are pregnant, may become pregnant or breast feeding and young children should limit their intake of fatty fish. One more concern with fish oil is blood thinning. Fish oil can slightly increase your risk of bleeding if you take more than 3 grams per day. To be safe, if you are on blood thinners like asa, warfarin,or plavix, talk to your doctor before taking fish oil.
The magic amount of fish oil seems to be 1g or 1000 mg per day of total DHA+EPA. That works out to about 1.5-2.5 ounces of salmon, 2-3 ounces of sardines or 12 ounces of tuna (light, canned in water and drained). If we are trying to lower triglycerides, we may need more than 3 grams of Omega-3 per day.
So if you don’t like eating fish, can you get your Omega-3 with EPA/DHA in it from supplements? Well if you don’t have any heart disease, the evidence still points to eating fish as your best alternative. If you have had a previous heart attack, there was an interesting Italian study in 2001 called GISSI-Prevnzione that says that adding 1 g of Omega-3 capsules per day will reduce your chance of dying a little bit even if you are already following a proper diet, and taking the proper post heart attack medications.
So, most of us should just eat more fish. Omega-3 supplements may be helpful, but we aren’t sure. And, although I am really quite excited by these new supplements from Pfizer, remember Vitamin E. Five years ago I would have told you Vitamin E was great for your heart, but now we don’t think so. The interesting looking research has led me astray before.
As always if you have any questions or concerns about these or other products, ask your pharmacist.
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