Omega-3s in cardiovascular disease

Omega-3s also reduce cardiovascular mortality when taken at low dosages, lower than those that lower blood cholesterol levels. 

 

This is demonstrated by several population-based studies, in which an association between regular fish consumption and a reduction in the risk of dying from a cardiovascular event was found to be as much as half.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prevention for those with healthy hearts

 

 

Several clinical studies have confirmed thecardioprotective action of Omega-3s.

 

Specifically, the Physician's Health Study showed that in individuals who have never had heart disease, the risk of sudden death from cardiovascular events is reduced by 81 percent if blood Omega-3 concentrations are high.Similarly, the MRFIT (Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial) study found that, again in individuals who have never reported heart disease, daily Omega-3 consumption of more than 0.7 grams reduced the risk of coronary artery disease by 40 percent.

 

 

 

 

Benefits for those who have suffered a heart attack

 

But the protective effects of Omega-3s also affect those who have already suffered a heart attack. This time it was an all-Italian study, completed by GISSI (Italian Group for the Study of Survival in Myocardial Infarction) and published in the prestigious journal The Lancet, that proved it.

 

The authors of this research followed 11,000 patients for more than 3 1/2 years. Analysis of the data collected showed that supplementing the Mediterranean diet with a daily dose of about 900 milligrams of the Omega-3 EPA and DHA reduced total mortality by 20 percent. Not only that, mortality from cardiovascular disease is reduced by 30%, while mortality from sudden death is lowered by as much as 45%.

 

The results obtained by the GISSI researchers confirmed the findings of another study, the Diet and Reinfarction Trial (DART). The latter, involving more than 2,000 men, showed that in regular fish consumers, mortality from heart disease was reduced by 29 percent.

 

 

 

 

Fish and supplements, 2 valuable sources of Omega-3s

 

In general, several researches have shown that Omega-3s introduced in the form of fish, fish oil, alpha-linoleic acid, or other forms of these valuable fatty acids reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death as well as the mortality rate due to heart disease.

 

However, the presence of environmental contaminants, such as methyl mercury, in fish may attenuate or even reverse the protective effect of Omega-3s toward cardiovascular health.

 

For this reason, safe sources of these fatty acids such as purified fish oil or algae extracts are preferred.