A new study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings provides the most comprehensive analysis of the role of omega-3 dosage in cardiovascular prevention to date. The meta-analysis, which is an in-depth review of 40 clinical trials, provides valid data on the intake of more omega-3 fats EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). The study concludes that omega-3 intake EPA and DHA are associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), the cause of 7.4 million deaths worldwide each year, and a reduced risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack), including fatal heart attack.
Specifically, the study found that EPA + DHA supplements are associated with a statistically significant reduced risk:
Fatal myocardial infarction (35 percent)
Μυ Myocardial infarction (13 percent)
CH CHD Events (10 percent)
CH CHD mortality (9 percent).
The study supports the idea that EPA and DHA intake contribute to cardioprotection and that patients probably need more because the cardiovascular benefits appear to increase with dosage. The researchers found that adding an extra 1000 mg of EPA and DHA daily reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease and heart attack even more: the risk of cardiovascular disease was reduced by 5.8% and the risk of heart attack was reduced by 9.0%. The study looked at dosages up to 5500 mg / day.
This study confirms the results of a previous meta-analysis from the Harvard School of Public Health, published in the fall of 2019, which examined EPA and DHA dosage using the 13 largest clinical trials. This new document includes more than three times the number of studies, which represents the total data to date and includes more than 135,000 study participants.
When separate analyzes reach similar results, this is valid and underscores the scientific basis needed to update future recruitment recommendations, said EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) Vice President of Data Science. Because this study included more studies and all doses, estimates for a dose response are more accurate and conclusions stronger.
Omega-3 EPA and DHA are long-chain, sea-based fatty acids. Eating fish, especially fatty fish such as salmon, anchovies and sardines, is the best way to get omega-3 EPA and DHA. However, most people eat much less than the recommended amount of fish, so omega-3 supplementation helps to fill the gap with the benefits of omega-3 supplements being in doses from 1000 to 2000 mg per day {much higher even and in people who eat fish regularly}.
Given the safety and reduced potential for interaction with other drugs, the positive results of this study strongly suggest that omega-3 supplements are a relatively low-cost, high-impact way to improve heart health with few associated risks and should be considered part of a typical preventative treatment for most patients with cardiovascular disease and for those recovering from myocardial infarction.
SOURCE: ELSEVIER SEPT. 2020
