Omega-3 And Fish Oil Heart Health Benefits

Here are details of studies published in medical research journals describing the benefits of omega 3 fatty acids and fish oil on heart health, and in preventing heart disease.

Fish oil in preventing further heart attacks, in survivors of myocardial infarction

Diet And Reinfarction Trial

The DART (Diet and Reinfarction Trial) study looked at 2033 male survivors of myocardial infarctions. The study examined the effect of fish or fish oil supplements in the diet on the risk of further heart attacks.

The first group was advised to reduce dietary fat according to the American Heart Association Step I diet. The second group was advised to eat fatty fish 2–3 times per week or, for those who were unable to tolerate fish, to take fish-oil capsules to provide 450mg omega-3 fatty acids per day. The third group was advised to eat 18 g fiber per day.

Those who were advised to consume more oily fish (approximately 500 to 800 mg/day of omega 3 fatty acids) had a 29% reduction in total mortality. That subgroup from this study who chose to take fish oil capsules providing 450mg EPA and DHA per day instead of eating fish, had a 62% reduction in cardiac related death, and a 56% reduction in risk of death.[1,2]

Study Details:

• 1. Burr ML, Fehily AM, Gilbert JF, et al. Effects of changes in fat, fish, and fibre intakes on death and myocardial reinfarction: diet and reinfarction trial (DART). Lancet. 1989;2:757-761.

• 2. Burr ML, Sweetham PM, Fehily AM. Diet and reinfarction. Eur Heart J. 1994;15:1152-1153.

GISSI Prevention Trial

The GISSI prevention trial, a large Italian study of 11,324 myocardial infarction patients, looked at the effect of fish oil capsules on the risk of cardiac and overall death rates.

Patients were randomised to taking either 1 g of fish oil containing 850mg of omega-3 fatty acids per day, 300 mg vitamin E, both, or neither.

The study showed that those who took the fish oil capsules had a reduction in risk of death, myocardial infarction and stroke by 15%, a reduction in risk of cardiac related death by 30% and a reduction in risk of sudden death by 45%. And these benefits were apparent within just four months of the trial.

Study Details:

• GISSI-Prevenzione Investigators. Dietary supplementation with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E after myocardial infarction: results of the GISSI-Prevenzione trial. Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto miocardico. Lancet. 1999;354:447-455.