Fish oils for the secondary prevention of Coronary Heart Disease

Dietary interventions are commonly suggested by general practitioners following a heart attack i.e. a myocardial infarction (MI). Evidence of the effectiveness of these interventions has accumulated from epidemiological studies of different populations and their dietary intakes, which show links between the consumption of fatty fish and lower incidence rates of coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and MI.

Where dietary changes cannot be made (or sustained) there is a role for the use of fish oil supplements to provide the necessary dietary intake of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). 

The Complementary Healthcare Council of Australi commissioned Deloitte Access Economics to undertake cost benefit analysis of fish oils and estimate the net benefit (or cost) of fish oils as adjunctive treatment for prevention of heart disease among those who have experienced MI, versus no fish oils, taking into account the cost per person of the treatment and the DALYs avoided.