Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Eating Fish Could Save Your Life
Aired May 27, 2003 - 06:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You've heard about the one that got away, but this story is no fish tale. Eating fish could save your life.
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here to tell us how -- good morning.
DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We've known for quite a while that eating fish lowers your risk of heart disease. But now there's another reason to eat fish. It can prevent sudden cardiac death. And this new study explains how and why.
Over half of sudden deaths in people with heart disease are caused by heart rhythm problems and this new study in circulation, the "Journal of the American Heart Association," found that fish oils, the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are able to prevent those dangerous heart rhythms. They stabilize the heart rhythm and they lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides and make the blood less clotty.
COSTELLO: OK, I have to ask you about these heart rhythm problems, because I have a heart murmur. Does that count as a heart rhythm problem?
FRYHOFER: No. Heart murmurs don't count. What we're talking about are heart rhythm problems and believe it or not, they're much more common than 8u may think. More people die from sudden cardiac arrest than from breast cancer, prostate cancer, AIDS, handguns, traffic accidents combined.
COSTELLO: You're kidding? And eating fish can help with that?
FRYHOFER: Yes. And according to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac death claims about 250,000 Americans each year. It can happen even if you don't know you have heart disease and 50 percent of men and 63 percent of women who get these heart rhythm problems have no previous symptoms of heart disease and many are in their 30s and 40s.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Is any kind of fish OK? Is there a certain kind of fish you should eat?
FRYHOFER: Well, the oily fishes are the best. And this is the tuna, the salmon. It's -- or the bluefish. It's best if it's fresh or frozen, but canned tuna is OK if it's packed in water, because the tuna packed in oil is not as good because the extra oil actually extracts the beneficial oils from the fish and the American Heart Association says that everyone should be eating fish at least twice a week and this should give healthy people all the omega 3 fatty acids you need, especially if you emphasize the more fatty fishes.
However, people with heart disease need to eat more fish. The American Heart Association recommends at least one gram a day of fish oils for people with exiting heart disease, and this is probably more than you can get from diet alone.
COSTELLO: OK, so I know people who absolutely cannot stand fish. And this is an alternative.
FRYHOFER: Well, to me it doesn't look as tasty as fish, because I like fish.
COSTELLO: I do. But some people don't, so they can take these tasty fish oil pills.
FRYHOFER: That's right. And if you are going to take the tasty fish oil pills, talk to your doctor, because they can have some side effects. They can actually make your blood, make you bleed a little more easily. And it's good to let your doctor know that you're taking things like that.
COSTELLO: Definitely so.
Thank you very much, Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 27, 2003 - 06:50 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You've heard about the one that got away, but this story is no fish tale. Eating fish could save your life.
Dr. Sandra Fryhofer is here to tell us how -- good morning.
DR. SANDRA FRYHOFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
We've known for quite a while that eating fish lowers your risk of heart disease. But now there's another reason to eat fish. It can prevent sudden cardiac death. And this new study explains how and why.
Over half of sudden deaths in people with heart disease are caused by heart rhythm problems and this new study in circulation, the "Journal of the American Heart Association," found that fish oils, the omega 3 fatty acids found in fish are able to prevent those dangerous heart rhythms. They stabilize the heart rhythm and they lower blood pressure, lower triglycerides and make the blood less clotty.
COSTELLO: OK, I have to ask you about these heart rhythm problems, because I have a heart murmur. Does that count as a heart rhythm problem?
FRYHOFER: No. Heart murmurs don't count. What we're talking about are heart rhythm problems and believe it or not, they're much more common than 8u may think. More people die from sudden cardiac arrest than from breast cancer, prostate cancer, AIDS, handguns, traffic accidents combined.
COSTELLO: You're kidding? And eating fish can help with that?
FRYHOFER: Yes. And according to the American Heart Association, sudden cardiac death claims about 250,000 Americans each year. It can happen even if you don't know you have heart disease and 50 percent of men and 63 percent of women who get these heart rhythm problems have no previous symptoms of heart disease and many are in their 30s and 40s.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable. Is any kind of fish OK? Is there a certain kind of fish you should eat?
FRYHOFER: Well, the oily fishes are the best. And this is the tuna, the salmon. It's -- or the bluefish. It's best if it's fresh or frozen, but canned tuna is OK if it's packed in water, because the tuna packed in oil is not as good because the extra oil actually extracts the beneficial oils from the fish and the American Heart Association says that everyone should be eating fish at least twice a week and this should give healthy people all the omega 3 fatty acids you need, especially if you emphasize the more fatty fishes.
However, people with heart disease need to eat more fish. The American Heart Association recommends at least one gram a day of fish oils for people with exiting heart disease, and this is probably more than you can get from diet alone.
COSTELLO: OK, so I know people who absolutely cannot stand fish. And this is an alternative.
FRYHOFER: Well, to me it doesn't look as tasty as fish, because I like fish.
COSTELLO: I do. But some people don't, so they can take these tasty fish oil pills.
FRYHOFER: That's right. And if you are going to take the tasty fish oil pills, talk to your doctor, because they can have some side effects. They can actually make your blood, make you bleed a little more easily. And it's good to let your doctor know that you're taking things like that.
COSTELLO: Definitely so.
Thank you very much, Dr. Sandra Fryhofer, this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
