Scottish researchers study benefits of fish oil

SIKU CIRCUMPOLAR NEWS

Researchers in Scotland are studying the Inuit diet in an effort to find new treatments for heart disease.

Volunteers will be given fish oil supplements, full of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids, to see if these improve their heart conditions.

Researchers want to see how the action of both fish oil supplements and fish affect blood vessels and overall bodily functions.

The British Heart Foundation is funding the study, which will also include smokers.

Healthy smokers 25 to 40 who smoke at least 10 cigarettes a day and non-smokers 40 to 75 are also taking part in the study at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Smokers will be monitored to see if the fish oils reduce blood clots and inflammation in arteries, while non-smokers will be compared with a group of patients who have had heart attacks to see the different effects the fish oil has.

The study is due to end in the summer of 2005.

Scotland is known for its high-fat diet, which includes a treat made from a Mars candy bar, battered and deep fried in oil.