Heart Association endorses fish oil supplements. (Secondary CHD Prevention).

CHICAGO -- How much fish can you eat? Or would you rather take supplemental capsules?

Those are questions that primary care physicians should start asking patients with documented coronary heart disease (CHD) now that the American Heart Association (AHA) has recommended that these patients consume about 1g of omega-3 fatty acids per day.

The AHA's new fish oil guidelines say that patients with documented CHD ideally should get their daily fish oil fix from an approximately 3-ounce serving of a fatty fish such as salmon, herring, trout, or sardines. Somewhat leaner fish, such as canned tuna, halibut, and flounder also are fine but must be consumed in larger portions, according to the guidelines (Circulation 106[21]:2747-57, 2002).

In a major departure, the AHA also said, for the first time, that a recommended nutrient could alternatively be consumed as a supplement--in this case, that would most commonly mean 1-g fish oil capsules that are widely marketed and contain 180 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid and 120 mg of docosahexaenoic acid. To get their daily dose, patients should take three of these capsules.

"This is the first pill supplement ever recommended by the AHA," William S. Harris, Ph.D., said in an interview at the AHA's annual scientific sessions.

The AHA's nutrition committee found evidence from controlled studies ...