Omega 3 supplements may not help heart

IOANNINA (UPI) -- Taking omega-3 supplements was not associated with a lower risk of all-cause death, cardiac death, sudden death, heart attack or stroke, Greek researchers say.

Dr. Evangelos C. Rizos of the University Hospital of Ioannina in Greece and colleagues performed systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association between omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and major cardiovascular outcomes.

Twenty studies were identified, which involved 68,680 randomized patients and 7,044 deaths, 3,993 cardiac deaths, 1,150 sudden deaths, 1,837 heart attacks, and 1,490 strokes. Analysis indicated no statistically significant association with all-cause mortality, cardiac death, sudden death, heart attack, and stroke when all supplement studies were considered, the study said.

“Treatment with marine-derived omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for the prevention of major cardiovascular adverse outcomes has been supported by a number of randomized clinical trials and refuted by others,” Rizos said in a statement. “Although their mechanism of action is not clear, their postulated effect on cardiovascular outcomes might be due to their ability to lower triglyceride levels, prevent serious arrhythmias, or even decrease platelet aggregation and lower blood pressure.”

The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids were not statistically significantly associated with major cardiovascular outcomes across various patient populations.

“Our findings do not justify the use of omega-3 as a structured intervention in everyday clinical practice or guidelines supporting dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids administration,” Rizos said.

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오메가 3의 불편한 진실...

흔히 사람들이 복용하는 오메가3는 사실 심장질환으로 인한 사망, 돌연사, 심장마비나 뇌졸중의 위험 완화에 전혀 효과가 없다는 연구 결과가 나왔다.

그리스 에반젤로스 리조스 박사가 이끄는 연구팀은 오메가3 지방산과 주요 순환계 기능과의 관련성을 밝혀내기 위해 6만8천명의 무작위로 뽑은 환자와 7천껀의 사망수, 약 4천껀의 심장질환 사망 등을 대상으로 연구, 비교했다.

리조스 박사는 오메가3의 지방산은 다양한 환자 그룹과 비교한 결과 주요 심장질환과 상관 관계가 없는 것으로 결론 내었다.
(코리아헤럴드)