Taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements from fish oil on a daily basis can reduce the risk of myocardial infarction and death from coronary heart disease by 8%; this does not, however, apply to strokes.
The benefits
Regarding the cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids there is no medical consensus, and many studies have been conducted on this topic.
Now, a meta-analysis has collected data from more than a dozen scientific papers and it concluded that, according to the latest findings, people who took dietary supplements of omega-3 from fish oil on a daily basis had less risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases, compared to those who received a placebo.
The study
On the contrary, according to this research, conducted at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the consumption of these supplements did not reduce the risk of suffering a stroke. In this meta-analysis, the researchers included 13 trials on omega-3 fatty acids from around the world – including three of the most wholesome performed so far –, which encompassed a population of 127477 adult individuals.
Omega-3 fatty acids help prevent inflammation and limit the synthesis of triglycerides in the liver
The results of the work, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, revealed that daily fish oil supplements with omega-3 reduce the risk of heart attack and death from coronary heart disease by 8%. They even suggest that high doses provide greater protection, and that when they are greater than 840 mg per day the risk of cardiovascular disease decreases even more.
Fish omega-3 protects cardiovascular health
For the main author of this study, JoAnn Manson, his findings show that, apart from eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and having a healthy lifestyle, omega-3 supplements from fish oil may have a protective effect on cardiovascular health.
Omega-3 fatty acids provide different benefits to our bodies, such as helping to prevent inflammation and limiting the synthesis of triglycerides in the liver. The largest sources are found in fish, especially in blue species, which are the most fatty, but according to the latest studies on fish consumption in Spain, it has decreased from 29.9 kg per person per year in 2007, to 23.7 in 2017.
Experts say that in order to ingest the appropriate levels of omega-3 it would be necessary to eat between three and four servings of fish per week. Omega-3 supplements try to replace the deficiencies when the type of diet eaten is not capable of covering the minimum recommended fish intake, although they should always be prescribed by a doctor.
Date: October 3rd, 2019
By: Caridad Ruíz
Nutrigenomics Institute is not responsible for the comments and opinions included in this article
