Combined dietary supplement may ward off heart disease

Combining marine fish oil, cocoa extract and phytosterols into a dietary supplement may help fight heart disease, researchers including one of Indian-origin have claimed.
Scientists examined the potential of combining the three ingredients as a means of preventing atherosclerosis or 'furring' of the arteries.
Using a series of cell-based experimental models, the study found combining the three ingredients helped inhibit key processes associated with the progression of atherosclerosis.
"We set out to examine what happens when you combine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (found in marine fish oil), flavanols (found in cocoa) and phytosterols," said Dipak Ramji from Cardiff University in the UK.

"The study found, in cell-based models, that combining the three ingredients could, potentially, help halt the progression of atherosclerosis," said Ramji.
The challenge now is to take the findings and examine whether they translate into humans, researchers said.

"Ultimately, our common goal is to help prevent people from developing atherosclerosis, and this collaborative work opens up new avenues for further research on the use of nutritional products in the prevention and treatment of the condition," said Ramji.
Atherosclerosis is the major cause of heart disease, killing approximately one individual every 34 seconds and responsible for around a third of all deaths worldwide, researchers said.

Current therapies against atherosclerosis are not fully effective and there have been numerous recent disappointments on promising agents that have been identified through various drug discovery programmes, they said.
The findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.