Marine Omega-3 (N-3) Fatty Acids for Cardiovascular Health: An Update for 2020.
Jacqueline K InnesPhilip C CalderPublished in: International journal of molecular sciences (2020)
The omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are found in seafood (especially fatty fish), supplements and concentrated pharmaceutical preparations. Long-term prospective cohort studies consistently demonstrate an association between higher intakes of fish, fatty fish and marine n-3 fatty acids (EPA + DHA) or higher levels of EPA and DHA in the body and lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), especially coronary heart disease (CHD) and myocardial infarction (MI), and cardiovascular mortality in the general population. This cardioprotective effect of EPA and DHA is most likely due to the beneficial modulation of a number of known risk factors for CVD, such as blood lipids, blood pressure, heart rate and heart rate variability, platelet aggregation, endothelial function, and inflammation. Evidence for primary prevention of CVD through randomised controlled trials (RCTs) is relatively weak. In high-risk patients, especially in the secondary prevention setting (e.g., post-MI), a number of large RCTs support the use of EPA + DHA (or EPA alone) as confirmed through a recent meta-analysis. This review presents some of the key studies that have investigated EPA and DHA in the primary and secondary prevention of CVD, describes potential mechanisms for their cardioprotective effect, and evaluates the more recently published RCTs in the context of existing scientific literature.
Keyphrases
- fatty acid
- heart rate
- heart rate variability
- blood pressure
- systematic review
- cardiovascular disease
- end stage renal disease
- oxidative stress
- heart failure
- randomized controlled trial
- newly diagnosed
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- meta analyses
- hypertensive patients
- type diabetes
- prognostic factors
- coronary artery disease
- metabolic syndrome
- case control
- cardiovascular events
- risk factors
- peritoneal dialysis
- cardiovascular risk factors
- climate change
- human health
- high resolution
- mass spectrometry
- atomic force microscopy
- patient reported outcomes