Increased
consumption of omega 3 fats via supplements offer little or no protection on
cardiovascular diseases, according to a new review of clinical evidence, led by
UK researchers.
They noted that increased consumption of omega 3 fats was widely
promoted globally and they were readily available and bought as over-the-counter
supplements.
The main types of omega 3 fatty acids are alphalinolenic acid
(ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). ALA is
normally found in fats from plant foods, while EPA and DHA – collectively
called long chain omega 3 fats – are naturally found in fatty fish.
The Cochrane researchers found that increasing long-chain omega
3 provided little if any benefit on most outcomes that they looked at. They
found high certainty evidence that long-chain omega 3 fats had little or no meaningful
effect on the risk of death from any cause. The
risk of death from any cause was 8.8% in people who had increased their intake
of omega 3 fats, compared with 9% in people in the control groups, said the
researchers. They also found that taking
more long-chain omega 3 fats, primarily through supplements probably made
little or no difference to risk of cardiovascular events, coronary heart
deaths, coronary heart disease events, stroke or heart irregularities.
In contrast, long-chain omega 3 fats probably
did reduce some blood fats, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol. Reducing
triglycerides was likely to be protective of heart diseases, but reducing HDL
has the opposite effect, noted the researchers.
Lead author Dr Lee
Hooper, from the University of East Anglia, said: “The findings of this review
go against the popular belief that long-chain omega 3 supplements, including
fish oils, protect the heart.
He said the review
also provided good evidence that taking long-chain omega 3, including fish oil,
EPA or DHA supplements had no benefit for heart health or reducing the risk of
stroke or death from any cause. Though oily fish was a healthy food, the
researchers said they were unclear if increasing intake will show beneficial
effects to the heart.
Victoria Taylor,
senior dietician at the British Heart Foundation, said: “Supplements
are no replacement for a healthy diet.
“Supplements are no
replacement for a healthy diet”
“Our message is clear – rather than taking
supplements to reduce your risk of having another heart attack or stroke, you
should focus on eating a
healthy, balanced, Mediterranean style diet”
OMEGA-3 RICH FOODS: FISH VARIETIES & FLAX SEEDS
OMEGA-3 RICH FOODS: FISH VARIETIES & FLAX SEEDS
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