[Clinical experiences with a standardized fish oil concentrate. Field study with 3,958 hyperlipemic patients in the...

In this open study involving 3,958 hyperlipemic patients of both sexes, the effect of a standardised omega-3 fatty acid preparation (omega-3-FA) obtained from fish oil (Eicosapen, Hormon-Chemie München GmbH) on lipid metabolism and blood pressure, together with its tolerance, was investigated under day-to-day conditions. The patients, on a lipid-lowering diet, received no lipid-lowering medication during the 3 months prior to the study, daily consumed an average of 11 +/- 2 capsules of the omega-3-FA preparation with 1.8-2.5 g omega-3-FA.

3,590 patients (90.7%) were evaluated. The serum lipid levels decreased on average by 34% for triglycerides, 17% for total cholesterol and 16% for LDL cholesterol, and increased by 12% for HDL cholesterol. In the case of hypertensives, the blood pressure (diastolic) normalized in 55%, while in the case of normotensives, only slight changes were observed. In 471 cases (11.9%), side effects--usually gastrointestinal--were reported, leading to abortion of the study in 71 patients (1.8%). All in all, tolerance was judged positively in more than 80%, and effectiveness in more than 90% of the cases.