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Omega-3 oil: a fishy protection for the heart

Nature Medicine volume 16, pages 1192–1193 (2010)Cite this article

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Adding n–3 fatty acids from fish oil—eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)—to our diet is likely to lower our risk of cardiovascular disease, according to some previous studies and basic research but other studies in people with cardiac disease have shown negative, disappointing results. Daan Kromhout et al.1 now show that low doses of a mixture of EPA and DHA (EPA-DHA) or the plant-derived lipid α-linoleic acid (ALA) did not have a beneficial effect in reducing sudden cardiac death in people that had suffered myocardial infarction in the past. A subgroup of women and diabetics, however, showed less risk for arrhythmias when taking ALA alone. These controversial results pose questions and challenges for the future use of these lipids in cardiovascular therapy.

Christine Albert

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Omega-3 oil: a fishy protection for the heart. Nat Med 16, 1192–1193 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1110-1192

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