Risk of cardiac arrest: with omega-3s it is reduced by 15 percent
Heart attack risk: 15% less chance by taking fish oil
Consuming higher amounts of Omega-3s resulting in increased levels of them in the blood can reduce the risk of cardiac arrest by as much as 15 percent. Confirming the benefits of Omega-3s for the heart is an analysis published in the journal Clinical Nutrion1. Its authors, led by experts from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard University in Boston (United States), reviewed studies conducted to date and concluded that these fatty acids do indeed exert a protective effect against the heart.
Cardiac arrest: clues to the usefulness of omega-3s
The health benefits of Omega-3s are diverse. Several organs are involved, from the brain to the joints, from the skin to the eyes. Most studies of their effects involve the cardiovascular system. The first hypotheses of the existence of a link between consumption of these fatty acids and heart and blood vessel health date back about 40 years. Several researchers have since sought to test this hypothesis, and the data supporting it have become increasingly numerous. Among them, many indicate that Omega-3s reduce mortality in cardiac arrest. The evidence for an influence on the incidence of this event, however, is more fragmentary. More Omega-3s, Fewer Heart Attacks To try to clarify this, Boston researchers compared results from the 7 most relevant studies published before the end of August 2011. The analysis involved data on 176,441 individuals, with a total of 5,480 cases of cardiac arrest. The authors calculated that individuals with higher Omega-3 levels are exposed a 14 percent lower risk of cardiac arrest than those with lower amounts. The effect is similar in those who eat fatty fish rich in Omega-3: frequent consumers are 15 percent less likely to be affected by this event. The protective effect is proportional to the amount of fish consumed: the risk decreases by 5% for every 15 grams of fish per day. Similarly, an increase in daily consumption of Omega-3 EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) by 125 milligrams corresponds to a 3 percent reduction in the risk of cardiac arrest. For experts in the field, this effect indicates the high potential of Omega-3s in protecting cardiovascular health.
Protection confirmed
The results of this analysis corroborate data from past studies that indicated that consumption of EPA and DHA could reduce the risk of heart attack. According to the authors, underlying this effect could be the ability of fish and Omega-3 to reduce triglyceride levels and regulate total fat levels in the blood, improve ventricular function, heart rate and inflammatory status.
