Eicosapentaenoic acid

  • EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) is a fatty acid found in the flesh of coldwater fish, including mackerel, herring, tuna, halibut, salmon, cod liver, whale blubber, or seal blubber.

Contents

Uses

  • Treating depression, when used with conventional antidepressants
  • For healing wounds after surgery and shortening recovery time, when used with RNA and L-arginine
  • Psoriasis
  • Treating borderline personality disorder, a mood disorder. EPA seems to lower aggressiveness and to relieve depression somewhat in women with this disorder.
  • Reducing the risk of heart attack, stroke, and death in people with coronary artery disease (clogged heart arteries). The reduction of the risk of death is small unless high cholesterol is present in addition to coronary artery disease. In that case, taking EPA can reduce the risk of having a heart attack or other major event by up to 19%. However, taking EPA doesn’t seem to reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death, which is due to an electrical malfunction in the heart.
  • Symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes
  • High blood pressure in high-risk pregnancies (eclampsia)
  • Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
  • Heart disease
  • Schizophrenia
  • Personality disorder
  • Cystic fibrosis*
  • Alzheimer’s disease
  • Depression
  • Diabetes]
  • EPA is used in combination with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in fish oil preparations for a variety of conditions, including preventing and reversing heart disease, and decreasing irregular heartbeats; as well as asthma, cancer, menstrual problems, hot flashes, hay fever, lung diseases, lupus erythematosus, and kidney disease. EPA and DHA are also used in combination for migraine headache prevention in adolescents, skin infections, Behçet’s syndrome, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, psoriasis, Raynaud’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and ulcerative colitis.
  • EPA is also used in combination with RNA and L-Arginine after surgery to reduce infections, improve wound healing, and shorten recovery time.
  • Don’t confuse EPA with DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and fish oils, which contain EPA and docosahexaenoic acid. Most available data involving EPA are from research and clinical experience with fish oil products containing variable combinations of EPA and DHA. For more information, see the separate listings for *Fish Oil* and DHA.

Benefits

  • EPA can prevent the blood from clotting easily. These fatty acids also reduce pain and swelling.

Cautions

  • Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Not enough is known about using of EPA during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
  • Aspirin-sensitivity: If you are sensitive to aspirin, EPA might affect your breathing.
  • High blood pressure: EPA might lower blood pressure. In people who are already taking medications to lower their blood pressure, adding EPA might make blood pressure drop too low. If you have high blood pressure, discuss using EPA with your healthcare provider, before you start taking it.

Interactions

Moderate Interaction Be cautious with this combination:

  • Medications for high blood pressure (Antihypertensive drugs) interacts with EPA (EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID): EPA can decrease blood pressure. Taking EPA along with medications for high blood pressure might cause you blood pressure to go too low.
    • Some medications for high blood pressure include captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), losartan (Cozaar), valsartan (Diovan), diltiazem (Cardizem), Amlodipine (Norvasc), hydrochlorothiazide (HydroDiuril), furosemide (Lasix), and many others.
  • Medications that slow blood clotting (Anticoagulant / Antiplatelet drugs) interacts with EPA (EICOSAPENTAENOIC ACID): EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) might slow blood clotting. Taking EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) along with medications that also slow clotting might increase the chances of bruising and bleeding.
    • Some medications that slow blood clotting include aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), diclofenac (Voltaren, Cataflam, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others), naproxen (Anaprox, Naprosyn, others), dalteparin (Fragmin), enoxaparin (Lovenox), heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and others.

Other Names

Acide Eicosapentaénoïque, Acide Éthyle-Eicosapentaénoïque, Acide Gras Essentiel, Acide Gras d’Huile de Poisson, Acide Gras N-3, Acide Gras Omega, Acide Gras Oméga 3, Acide Gras Polyinsaturé, Acide Gras W3, Acido Eicosapentaenoico, EPA, E-EPA, Eicosapentanoic Acid, Essential Fatty Acid, Ethyl Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Ethyl-Eicosapentaenoic Acid, Ethyl-EPA, Fish Oil Fatty Acid, N-3 Fatty Acid, Omega Fatty Acid, Omega 3, Oméga 3, Omega-3, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid, PUFA, W-3 Fatty Acid.

References

Source: WebMD, “EPA, Eicosapentaenoic acid”, www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/

Also See: Omega-3 fatty acid

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