Taking just one capsule a day of omega-3, which occurs naturally in oily fish such as mackerel, cuts the risk of further heart trouble by 9%, according to Italian researchers.

The results of a 10-year study of 7,000 heart attack patients by the Anmco centre in Florence were published in medical journal The Lancet online.

Professor Julian Halcox, of the University of Cardiff, who has studied the Italian research, said, "These results are particularly encouraging for heart failure patients and emphasise the importance of omega-3 fatty acids in cardiovascular disease."There are more than 707,000 heart failure patients in the United Kingdom. The condition, which leaves the heart struggling to pump blood around the body effectively, is notoriously difficult to treat.

Currently, about two in five patients die within the first year.

Omega-3 is thought to help by stabilizing the electrical signals of the heart and reducing blood fat levels.

From the September 2, 2008, Prepared Foods e-Flash