London, Sep 2 (IANS) Fish oil capsules could save lives of 10,000 heart patients every year, finds a recent survey.

A review study reveals omega-3 supplements prevented the deaths of almost one in 10 heart patients.

Regular use also prevented around eight percent of hospitalisations caused by symptoms such as breathlessness and fluid retention, reports the Daily Mail.

British cardiologists say international guidelines are now being rewritten to advise that heart failure patients take a daily dose, according to the European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine.

Around 5,00,000 prescriptions were written last year in Britain for Omacor, a fish oil supplement and pharmacy-only medicine that cannot be bought in health food shops.

Review author Prof Martin Cowie, speaking at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Stockholm, said that if 5,00,000 patients took supplements regularly around 10,000 lives a year might eventually be saved.