(RxWiki News) Omega-3 fatty acids may help lower your risk of coronary heart disease, according to a new study.
Despite some conflicting past research, this new study, which looked at multiple past studies on the topic, found that consuming higher amounts of omega-3s could lower coronary heart disease risk in higher-risk populations.
For example, the researchers behind this study found that people with high cholesterol, a risk factor for heart disease, who consumed more omega-3s had a 14 percent reduced risk of coronary heart disease. For people with high triglycerides, that figure was 16 percent.
Consuming more omega-3s — found in foods like mackerel, salmon, tuna, walnuts and flaxseeds — appeared to reduce coronary heart disease risk by 6 percent for the general population, but the study authors noted that this reduction was not statistically significant.
This study looked at 34 past studies that covered more than 800,000 patients.
Talk to your doctor about how to consume a healthy diet and reduce your risk of heart disease.
This study was published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
A grant from GOED funded this research. Information on potential conflicts of interest was not available at the time of publication.
