Omega-3 Benefits for Cardiovascular Health Reaffirmed

Adding to the growing body of evidence suggesting the cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, J. de Goede, from Wageningen University (The Netherlands), and colleagues analyzed data from a large-scale Dutch study involving 21,342 men and women, ages 20 to 65 years, who did not have a history of myocardial infarction or stroke at the study ‘s start.  Assessing the intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), from food sources including fish, the researchers found that those subjects with the highest average intake of EPA/DHA reduced their risks of fatal coronary heart disease by 51%, as compared to those with then lowest intake (40 mg per day). Further, those with the highest average intake of DHA/EPA slashed their risks of heart attack by 38%. The team concludes that: “In populations with a low fish consumption, EPA+DHA and fish may lower fatal [coronary heart disease] and [myocardial infarction] risk in a dose-responsive manner.”