Fish Oil Plus Statins May Be Effective as Combination Therapy

Both statins and fish oil lowered cholesterol in obese men at risk for developing diabetes, according to the results of a study published in Diabetes (August 2002). The 2 therapies appear to have different mechanisms of action, making combination therapy likely to be effective. The men were randomized to a combination of statin therapy plus fish oil tablets, statin therapy plus a placebo, fish oil plus a placebo, or 2 placebos. The statin therapy decreased the level of plasma apolipoprotein B?containing lipoproteins, whereas fish oils decreased the production of triglycerides. The findings supported the use of combination fish oil and statin therapy in this population; however, the researchers noted that large clinical trials of this combination are needed.