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Cardiovascular disease – a broad category of conditions that includes coronary artery disease, stroke, and hypertension – is the leading cause of death worldwide, claiming the lives of roughly 18 million people each year. Findings from a recent meta-analysis suggest that omega-3 fatty acid intake reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for cardiovascular health. They participate in pathways involved in the biosynthesis of hormones that regulate blood clotting, contraction and relaxation of artery walls, and inflammation. Omega-3 fatty acids include alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is found mainly in plant oils such as flaxseed, soybean, and canola oils. DHA and EPA are found in fish and other seafood. The human body can convert some ALA into EPA and then to DHA, but the process is very inefficient.

The authors of the meta-analysis evaluated evidence gleaned from 40 randomized clinical trials investigating the effects of omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) on cardiovascular outcomes in more than 135,000 people. The outcomes included myocardial infarction (heart attack), coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease events (which included angina, stroke, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease, sudden death, and cardiovascular surgical interventions), coronary heart disease deaths, and fatal myocardial infarction. They used the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) framework to assess the quality of the evidence.

Their analysis revealed that EPA and DHA supplementation decreased a person’s risk of having a heart attack by 13 percent and decreased their risk of death from heart attack by 35 percent. Similarly, a person’s risk of having a coronary heart disease event decreased by 10 percent, and their risk of death from coronary heart disease decreased by 9 percent. These reductions in risk were dose dependent, with greater intake (1,000 milligrams of additional EPA and DHA per day) associated with nearly 6 percent less risk of cardiovascular events and 9 percent less risk of having a heart attack.

These findings suggest that EPA and DHA intake reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and underscore the need for public health interventions that promote dietary and supplemental omega-3 fatty acid intake.

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