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Omega-3 Linked to Cardiovascular Health
– Reported, March 06 2014
A diet high in marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids has been linked to a lower risk of heart disease, according to a study from the University of Pittsburgh.
Researchers followed 300 men for five years, tracking their cardiovascular health, and compared them to middle-aged men in Japan, who have diets high in omega-3 fatty acids. They found men in the U.S. had three times more coronary artery calcification, a key predictor of heart disease, than the men in Japan. The Japanese men had twice as much omega-3 fatty acid in their blood than the American men. The average American diet consists of about one 100 gram serving of fish a week; the average Japanese diet is about one and a half servings a day.
“I am not encouraging Americans to start consuming massive amounts of fish, which may have harmful contaminants, such as mercury, in their flesh,” lead study author Akira Sekikawa, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health, was quoted as saying. “However, our findings indicate that it is worthwhile to take another look at the effect of marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids on heart disease, particularly when consumed at higher rates than previously investigated.”
SOURCE: Heart, March 2014