Doctors and health officials have long urged the public to eat more fish, since the healthy fats in fish—primarily from the omega-3 family—tend to lower risk of heart attacks and other heart problems. In fact, the most recent dietary guidelines recommend that Americans eat more fatty fish per week.
In a study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers reviewing 34 studies on EPA and DHA from food and supplements, as well as heart disease risk, found evidence of the benefits of omega-3 fats in reducing heart problems. There is a caveat, however: the study was funded by the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), a group of makers and marketers of fish oil products. According to the study authors, GOED did not play a role in the design or interpretation of the study results.
The analysis included gold-standard clinical trials—in which people were randomly assigned to take omega-3s or not, then followed for their heart disease outcomes—as well as population-based studies, which looked for trends among people eating or taking omega-3s and those who did not over longer periods of time. Overall, those consuming more fish oil in the population studies lowered their risk by 18%.
Among the people participating in the clinical trials, those at higher risk of developing heart disease seemed to benefit more from the fish oil. In people with high triglyceride levels, coronary heart disease risk dropped 16%, and 14% in people with high LDL cholesterol.
Until then, heart experts say it’s best to stick with the natural sources by eating at least two servings of salmon, tuna or other fatty fish a week.