March 31/Coventry Evening Telegraph (England) -- A fish oil ingredient added to cholesterol-lowering drugs can provide extra protection against damage caused by heart disease, a study has shown.

Researchers in Japan who recruited 18,600 patients taking statins to lower their cholesterol found giving half of them the fish oil fatty acid EPA improved their health.

They were 19% less likely to suffer heart attacks than those taking only statins.

From the April 9, 2007, Prepared Foods e-Flash