{"id":821,"date":"2014-08-05T07:00:18","date_gmt":"2014-08-05T11:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=821"},"modified":"2014-08-03T20:08:05","modified_gmt":"2014-08-04T00:08:05","slug":"vte","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/vte\/","title":{"rendered":"VTE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Benefits of Omega-3<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

\"venous-thomboembolism\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/strong>When a blood clot ends up in your lungs, it can be deadly. But that blood clot didn\u2019t start out in your lungs. It initially formed in your veins where it is referred to as a thrombus. Then it broke off and migrated to your lungs \u2013 a process called venous thromboembolism or VTE<\/strong>. Venous thromboembolism is the third most common form of cardiovascular disease, killing around 100,000 Americans each year.<\/p>\n

What if something as simple as adding more omega-3 fatty acids to your diet could dramatically decrease your risk of VTE? That\u2019s exactly what a recent study (Hansen-Krone et al, J. Nutr., 144: 861-867, 2014) has suggested. It claims that one of the benefits of omega-3<\/strong> in your diet may be to help prevent venous thromboembolism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

What Is Venous Thromboembolism or VTE?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As described above, venous thromboembolism starts when a blood clot (also called a thrombis) forms in a vein. About 2\/3 of the time, the blood clot forms in the deep veins in the leg (called deep vein thrombosis or DVT) and stays there before eventually dissolving. The symptoms of deep vein thrombosis or DVT<\/strong> are generally leg pain and swelling.<\/p>\n

About 1\/3 of the time, the clot breaks loose and travels to the lung where it blocks blood flow to a portion of the lung (a process called pulmonary embolism). The symptoms of pulmonary embolism<\/strong> are severe shortness of breath, chest pain when breathing or coughing, and death! While the first two symptoms are pretty frightening, it\u2019s the last symptom (death) that we\u2019d really like to avoid.<\/p>\n

Why Might Omega-3s Prevent Venous Thromboembolism or VTE?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the benefits of Omega-3s<\/a> is they have been shown to reduce inflammation and platelet aggregation, two of the most important risk factors for venous thromboembolism. So it is logical to think that omega-3s might help reduce the risk. However, good scientists don\u2019t rely on logic alone. They test their hypotheses by doing clinical studies.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the results of previous clinical studies have been mixed. One study showed a protective effect of omega-3s, but two other studies found no correlation between omega-3 fatty acid intake and VTE. However, these studies had some significant limitations:<\/p>\n

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