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Omega-3 fatty acids have long been regarded as good for heart health, but their consumption in the form of supplements hardly protects against heart disease, suggests a major new badysis
. 79 smaller randomized trials. The researchers found that omega-3 supplementation had little or no effect on the risk of death, heart attack or stroke. Omega-3 supplements however had some benefit in that they helped reduce triglyceride levels. But the other side of the coin was that they also reduced the levels of what is called good cholesterol, HDL, according to the results published in the Cochrane Review.
The results were not particularly surprising for the team that conducted the badysis. "When I look at our results, what's amazing is how long we have believed in the effect of omega 3. fatty acids on heart and vascular health," he said. Lead author Lee Hooper, a dietician and researcher at the Norwich Medical School of the University of East Anglia in the UK. "The tests are very consistent. The highest quality trials published over several decades consistently show that there is little or no effect on heart disease, stroke or arrhythmia, she said. .
Hooper and colleagues reviewed data from randomized controlled trials. one to six years. The badysis found an advantage of consuming canola oil and nuts, especially in the prevention of cardiac arrhythmias. But, Hooper said, the effects were weak. For example, 143 people would need to increase their consumption of canola oil to prevent a person from developing this heart disease, she said. And 1,000 people would need to increase their consumption of canola oil or nuts to prevent a person from dying from heart disease or a stroke or from a heart attack.
Even though the data do not demonstrate benefits for omega-3 heart attack and stroke prevention, Hooper is not ready to tell everyone to throw away their pills. This is because "omega-3 supplements reduce triglycerides, and if people have received fish oil capsules prescribed by their doctor, they should continue to take them," he said. she said. "For the rest of us, taking omega 3s will not protect our hearts.
Because the combined studies in the meta-badyzes tend to be heterogeneous, the results are not as strong as one large study would be, says Dr. Zhaoping Li, professor of medicine and director of the Human Nutrition Center at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California at Los Angeles, who was not involved in the study.
Studies are relatively short and it would be difficult to see a difference in the parameters such as heart attack, stroke and death. "I think the jury is still in terms of long-term benefits," said Li. In addition, "you can have people who consume very different diets in studies," noted Li, and C & Is important because supplements are more likely to have an impact in people who receive little omega-3 in their diet. In the end, the study "does not change my practice," said Li.
Dr. Michael Blaha, who also did not participate in the badysis, said that he just confirmed his previous opinions on omega – 3 supplements. "I'm not too surprised by the results," said Blaha, director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Heart Disease Prevention in Baltimore, Maryland. "We have seen a trend toward negative results in studies of these supplements.And overall, there are not many reasons to supplement a healthy diet with over-the-counter products." [19659002] It's not that omega-3s are not important, says Blaha. "But the public health recommendation must be to get them through food rather than food supplements," he said.
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