Science / Medicine : Fish Oil and Heart Attacks

Oil from cold water fish, shown by several studies to help prevent heart attacks, may work its magic by retarding a growth protein that promotes clogged arteries, a Cleveland researcher says.

Paul L. Fox of the Cleveland Clinic Research Institute said that test-tube experiments showed that oil extracted from the flesh of fish that live in cold water decreases levels of a protein called the platelet-derived growth factor.

Reducing this protein, Fox said, suppresses the growth of smooth muscle cells in arteries and, thus, helps stem the blood-vessel narrowing that can lead to a heart attack.

But Fox said the finding, published in the journal Science, does not mean that people should start popping fish oil pills as a heart attack preventive. More study needs to be done before there is proof that such dietary supplements can be effective, he said.