The Triglyceride Lowering Effect of an Omega-3 Fat (DHA) in Addition to Statin Therapy for Patients With CAD or Diabetes

This study will explore the ability of an algae (ocean plant) omega-3 fat supplement (DHA) to reduce triglyceride levels in patients currently being treated with statin therapy (Zocor or simvastatin, Lipitor or atorvastatin, Pravachol or pravastatin, Crestor or rosuvastatin, etc.) for coronary artery disease(CAD)or risk equivalents (any of the following: heart attack, post angioplasty or stent, post coronary bypass surgery, angina, vascular disease, stroke or diabetes). The rationale for the study is based around the finding that patients with CAD have an approximately 20 % reduction in the risk of sudden death when treated with fish oil (DHA is one of the ingredients in fish oil). In studies of statin-based therapies, it has been observed that statins reduce the risk of coronary events 20-45%. There has not yet been research trials exploring the combination of the two ingredients (i.e., DHA plus statin) in patient treatment either to reduce recurrent cardiac events or to address another reported finding of fish oils to lower triglyceride levels (triglyceride is a form of "blood fat"). This research project will be a pilot project to assess the safety and effectiveness of DHA "add-on" therapy in patients currently being treated with statins for CAD. The study hypothesis is to test the effectiveness of DHA as compared to placebo to lower triglyceride levels in the blood. This is a double-blinded randomized clinical trial.