TY - JOUR
T1 - Are omega-3 fatty acids the most important nutritional modulators of coronary heart disease risk?
AU - Harris, William S.
N1 - Funding Information:
According to a series of three reports recently released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which is located within the US Department of Health and Human Services, consumption of fish or fish oil supplements can help reduce risk for death from coronary heart disease (CHD) [5•]. The reports were prepared by the Evidence-Based Practice Center at Tufts-New England Medical Center under contract from the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Although not reducing classic CHD risk factors such as serum cholesterol, relatively high intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) combined (2 to 4 g/d) can lower serum triglyceride levels and appear to have mild antihypertensive effects as well [6]. The cardioprotective mechanism of action of intakes below those that alter serum triglycerides appears to be reduced susceptibility to lethal arrhythmias [7]. The evidence for a beneficial effect of alpha-linolenic acid (the 18-carbon n-3 FA found in flaxseed oil and to lesser extents in canola and olive oils) was weaker than for EPA and DHA.
PY - 2004/11
Y1 - 2004/11
N2 - With each passing year, the evidence linking an increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) death with a chronic dietary deficiency in long-chain omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FAs) grows stronger. Recently, a federally mandated evidence-based review in the United States concluded that n-3 FAs, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have clear cardioprotective effects, and national and international expert panels and health organizations have begun to call for increased EPA and DHA intakes. Consumption of between 450 and 1000 mg/d is recommended for those without and with known CHD, respectively. Based on animal and isolated cell studies, these FAs were presumed to have antiarrhythmic effects. The first direct evidence for this in humans was recently published, as were new data linking low n-3 FA intakes with risk for developing atrial fibrillation. The strength of the n-3 story has now led to a proposal that blood levels of EPA plus DHA be considered a new, modifiable, and clinically relevant risk factor for death from CHD.
AB - With each passing year, the evidence linking an increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) death with a chronic dietary deficiency in long-chain omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids (FAs) grows stronger. Recently, a federally mandated evidence-based review in the United States concluded that n-3 FAs, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have clear cardioprotective effects, and national and international expert panels and health organizations have begun to call for increased EPA and DHA intakes. Consumption of between 450 and 1000 mg/d is recommended for those without and with known CHD, respectively. Based on animal and isolated cell studies, these FAs were presumed to have antiarrhythmic effects. The first direct evidence for this in humans was recently published, as were new data linking low n-3 FA intakes with risk for developing atrial fibrillation. The strength of the n-3 story has now led to a proposal that blood levels of EPA plus DHA be considered a new, modifiable, and clinically relevant risk factor for death from CHD.
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U2 - 10.1007/s11883-004-0085-7
DO - 10.1007/s11883-004-0085-7
M3 - Review article
C2 - 15485590
AN - SCOPUS:9744271624
SN - 1523-3804
VL - 6
SP - 447
EP - 452
JO - Current Atherosclerosis Reports
JF - Current Atherosclerosis Reports
IS - 6
ER -