Can fish oil replace statins in lowering cholesterol?
From correspondents in Washington, United States, 03:01 PM IST With 40 percent of heart patients who take cholesterol-lowering statins stopping the drug in less than a year, doctors have been on the lookout for an alternative. And that alternative may be fish oil and red rice, says a new study. Doctors believe that high costs, adverse effects, poor understanding of benefits and reluctance to take medications long-term are reasons why some patients stop taking statins. To ascertain whether an alternative to statins would be effective, a research group from Pennsylvania University followed 74 patients with high blood cholesterol who were required to use statins. They were randomly assigned to the alternative or a statin group and followed for three months. The alternative treatment participants received daily fish oil and red yeast rice supplements, and they were enrolled in a multi-disciplinary lifestyle programme that involved weekly meetings with a cardiologist, dietician, exercise ph
