Omega-3, new analysis confirms benefits for heart and arteries
Omega 3 EPA DHA: the great anti-inflammatory benefits for heart and arteries
Evidence of the heart health benefits exerted by omega-3 fatty acids is significant, but not all sources of these foods are effective in the same way. This is shown by a new analysis of data in the scientific literature, published by researchers at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University in Corvallis, US. Conducted by Donald Jump, Christopher Depner and Sasmita Tripathy, the analysis also offers a possible explanation for the mixed results obtained in some recent studies. Specifically, according to the experts, the benefits exerted by Omega-3-richfish oil on the health of patients already diagnosed with a cardiovascular disorder are masked by the high efficacy of the medications these same patients are already taking.
Benefits for the heart (and more)
The first indications of the protective efficacy of Omega-3 towards the heart and blood vessels date back to the 1970s. At that time, Jorn Dyeberg noted that the Eskimo peoples of Greenland, whose diet was rich in fatty fish containing precisely Omega-3s, were protected against the onset of cardiovascular disease. Four decades of research now makes it possible to say that these fatty acids are not only valuable for reducing the risk of thrombosis, for improving blood pressure, heart rate, and vascular function. In fact, eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids, the two Omega-3s in which fish and the oil obtained from them are rich, also exert benefits, for example, on the nervous system, joints and the immune system.
Heart medications may mask the benefits of omega-3s
While science was discovering the protective role exerted by Omega-3s toward the heart, medicine was also making huge strides in developing drugs to treat cardiovascular diseases. Today, sufferers of these diseases can rely on extremely effective therapies. According to Jump, it is precisely this factual reality that makes the benefits of fish oil intake less apparent in those who already suffer from cardiovascular disease and are taking these drugs. In fact, as Jump himself pointed out, early studies, conducted a few decades ago, had found that Omega-3 exerted beneficial effects even in those with cardiovascular disease. Benefits that today are masked by the effect of drugs, the intake of which is certainly not discontinued in order to test the effectiveness of other products. Another key point emphasized by Jump is the fact that fish oil is not a drug, but a dietary supplement, and as such must be taken for longer than a drug before showing its effects.
How many Omega-3s for prevention?
The analysis also highlights the differences between the various sources of Omega-3 available on the market. Jump pointed out that the current evidence points out that what matters for the prevention of cardiovascular disorders is the amount of EPA and DHA in heart tissue and blood. Compared with fish and the oil derived from it, plant sources would be less effective because they do not directly supply the body with these two Omega-3s, but their precursor, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which is converted into the other two with rather low effectiveness. Therefore, the expert recommends consuming 200 to 300 milligrams of a mixture of EPA and DHA every day to protect cardiovascular health.
Source Jump DB, Depner CM, Tripathy S, "Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and cardiovascular disease: Thematic Review Series: New Lipid and Lipoprotein Targets for the Treatment of Cardiometabolic Diseases," J Lipid Res. 2012 Dec;53(12):2525-45. doi: 10.1194/jlr.R027904
