NEW YORK: Omega-3 fatty acids in fish and dietary supplements are associated with lower odds of heart disease even in people already at elevated risk because of excessive levels of fats or bad cholesterol in their blood, a research review suggests.

The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week and considering supplements of omega-3 fatty acids when that’s not possible. Previous research has linked omega-3s to a lower risk of abnormal heartbeats, less fats in the blood, reduced risk of artery-clogging deposits known as plaque, and slightly lower blood pressure. For the current study, researchers examined previously published research on two omega-3s: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid).

They found that consumption of omega-3s in food or supplements was associated with a 16 percent lower risk of heart disease in people with high triglycerides, or fats, in the blood, and a 14 percent lower risk for patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the bad kind. “The collective evidence from all studies supports a beneficial role of EPA and DHA on coronary heart disease, and stronger associations were observed among those who may benefit acutely from EPA and DHA, such as those with elevated triglyceride levels and those with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,” said lead study author Dominik Alexander of EpidStat Institute, with offices in Seattle, Washington, and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

To examine the connection between omega-3s and heart disease, researchers analyzed data from 18 trials that randomly assigned about 93,000 people to get a certain amount of these nutrients. Across these randomized trials, they found omega-3s associated with a 6 percent lower risk of heart disease, but this was too small to rule out the possibility it was due to chance. —Reuters