subject: Can Omega Three Rich Fish Oil Reduce The Chance of Blood Clot Formation in Dialysis Patients? [print this page] Somewhere around half a million people in the United States must receive some form of dialysis, with many of these requiring ongoing, life saving, dialysis. But with dialysis comes a number of risks. One of the most serious is the risk of blood clot formation. Amazingly, just about half of those who must undergo dialysis (who have received an access graft) will suffer blood clot formation within the first two years.
What are access grafts and why are they necessary?
The dialysis process is designed to help failing or impaired kidneys remove toxins, waste, and excess fluids from the blood. But before dialysis can get started an access point must be created requiring a minor surgical procedure, the goal of which is to make a larger blood vessel by combining an artery to a vein. If no blood vessels are deemed to be suitable a soft plastic tube called a vascular graft will be used instead. About ninety percent of those requiring regular dialysis will at some point require the access graft procedure.
What does blood clot formation matter anyway?
The simple answer is that blood clot formation increases the chances of being victimized by a heart attack or stroke. When a stroke or heart attack occurs blood flow to either the brain or the heart is blocked. About four minutes after a heart attack or stroke happens both brain and heat muscle death will begin to occur. As the clock ticks the damage only spreads. So the bottom line here is any preventative steps we can take to avoid blood clot formation, and the impending heart attack or stroke that could follow, is a good thing.
Why omega 3 rich fish oil?
Natural blood thinners such as fish oil are high in the omega 3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Supplementation with these omega 3 fatty acids thins the blood and assists with blood flow. By thinning the blood a person can improve circulation and reduce the risk of blood clot formation, which in turn reduces the chances of heart attack or stroke. Additionally, fish oil supplements high in omega fatty acids may help moderate the negative effects produced by long term use of certain medications such as NSAIDs.
Are there any studies to support these findings?
While there is a great deal of anecdotal evidence to support our conclusion; such as the very low heart attack rate for the Greenland Eskimos, what we really need is some hard fact.
Some believe that this hurdle was a least partially jumped over in a recent well documented study conducted in the United States. The study was performed on a test group of patients who had newly placed vascular grafts.
The participants were divided in half with on group receiving 4 grams of fish oil daily, with the placebo group being given 4 grams of corn oil daily. Approximately eighty percent of the fish oil group were blood clot formation free for a full year, while the placebo group was only 30 percent clot free.
Even the doctor overseeing the study was shocked at the results stating:
"For over three quarters of the study group to sustain a year of dialysis without clotting is remarkable. Though there have been previous studies involving fish oil, this study is unique because it showed such a dramatic difference between those who took fish oil and those who didn't."
Can Omega Three Rich Fish Oil Reduce The Chance of Blood Clot Formation in Dialysis Patients?
