Cardiovascular Health and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
With all the research showing the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids on a person’s heart, it can be hard to sort the wheat from the chaff.
Recently, expert findings published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings condensed peer-reviewed research to summarize the latest data about how these healthy fats can improve heart health and lower levels of unhealthy cholesterol.
Researchers say the most convincing evidence that omega-3 fatty acids help hearts comes from three large trials involving more than 30,000 people. Some of the volunteers in the studies received DHA and EPA, the two omega-3 fats that are most closely associated with healthy hearts, and others received placebos.
It turns out that those taking omega-3 supplements, or eating more fish, had between 19 and 45 percent fewer heart problems than the control group.
According to James O’Keefe, M.D., a cardiologist from the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, evidence suggests the following:
- People with known coronary heart disease should consume one gram of omega 3’s each day.
- People without known heart disease should consume approximately 500 milligrams of omega-3’s each day.
In addition, Dr. O’Keefe admitted those individuals with elevated triglyceride levels might benefit from as much as three to four grams of DHA and EPA per day; studies have shown that this dietary intake can significantly reduce cholesterol levels.
Two servings of fish offer approximately 500 milligrams of omega 3’s; the remaining dietary omega-3 intake can be derived from omega-3 nutritional supplements.
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Barbara S. Levine, R.D., Ph.D., has been a researcher, consultant, and teacher of nutrition at some of the most prestigious medical institutions in the country. Dr. Levine is a DHA & B Vitamin Center scientific advisory board member and director of the first NIH-funded Nutrition Information Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Weill-Cornell Medical College, The Rockefeller University, Hospital for Special Surgery, and Strang Cancer Prevention Center.