Fish Oil, Plant Omega 3s, and Cardiovascular Health
Mar 8th, 2010 by Norman
Fish Oil, Plant Omega 3s, and Cardiovascular Health
The is some evidence that fish “omega 3”oils are beneficial to cardiovascular health. Less evidence that plant source “omega 3” has the same value. (Note: there are three types of “omega 3” or “n-3 fatty acids”: two from fish – eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) – and one from plant sources – α-linolenic acid (ALA) found in walnuts, flax seeds and chia seeds.
Is there more (though controversial) evidence for fish (EPA and DHA) than for plant ALA because there’s been more research? Probably. Wikipedia says, “The 18 carbon [ALA] has not been shown to have the same cardiovascular benefits as DHA or EPA.” Note, they say “has not been shown to,“ and not “has been shown not to.”
One of the studies I’ve found on-line found that an experimental walnut diet lowered total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol concentrations, while a fish diet resulted in decreased serum triglyceride and increased HDL-cholesterol concentrations. So both are valuable and may complement each other. (Though another author says that there is no data on the potential therapeutic benefit of EPA, DHA, or ALA supplementation on those individuals who already consume a vegetarian diet.)
So, there just hasn’t been that much research and so many authors are hedging there bets: “Observational data suggest that diets rich in EPA, DHA, or ALA do reduce cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death; however, randomized controlled trial data are somewhat less clear;” and ”…The evidence [for plant sources, alpha-linolenic acid] is not as compelling as for fish oil.”
I’m a cardiac patient, and I’m a vegetarian, and for now I’m just eating a lot of flax (freshly ground), chia, and walnuts.
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