BERGEN, Norway—Increasing intakes of omega-3s may not reduce the risk the risk of coronary artery disease among those who already eat fish and use supplements on a consistent basis, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2010 May 19). Among Norwegian patients with coronary artery disease in the study consuming relatively high amounts of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) and fish, increasing intakes produced no significant trends toward a reduced risk of coronary events or mortality.
Researchers conducted a substudy of 2,412 participants in the Western Norway B Vitamin Intervention Trial with a median follow-up time of 57 months. Patients older than 18 years diagnosed with coronary artery disease (81 percent men) completed a food-frequency questionnaire at baseline, from which daily intakes of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA)and docosahexaenoic acid (EPA)as well as fish were estimated on the basis of diet and intakes of supplements including fish and cod liver oils. The main endpoint was a composite of coronary events, including coronary death, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris.
The mean intakes of LCPUFAs in quartiles 1 to 4 were 0.58 ± 0.29, 0.83 ± 0.30, 1.36 ± 0.44, and 2.64 ± 1.18 g/d, respectively. Researchers found no dose-response relation between quartiles of LCPUFAs (based on intake as percentage of total energy) or fish and coronary events or separate endpoints. However, a post hoc additive proportional hazards model showed a slightly increased risk of coronary events at an intake of less than 0.30 g/d of LCPUFAs.