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Omega-3 Fatty Acids Linked To Lower Sudden Death and CAD Risk

A diet rich in fish oil is said to reduce risk of coronary
artery disease (CAD) and sudden death. Three recently published
studies addressed this:

One group analyzed data from 85,000 women with no CAD or
cancer when enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study. During 16
years of follow-up, CAD risk was lower in women who ate fish 2
to 4 times weekly than among those who ate fish less than once
a month.
	After adjusting for age and other cardiac risk factors,
frequent fish eaters had a 31% relative reduction in CAD risk.

A second group from the Physicians' Health Study (PHS) had
already shown that eating fish reduced sudden-death risk, but
not risk of heart attack (JAMA 1998; 279:23).
	In a follow-up case-control study, they compared
baseline data on blood fatty-acids from 94 participants who
did not have prior CAD and who suffered sudden cardiac death
(SCD). They also studied data from 184 PHS controls, matched
for age and smoking status.
	Seventeen years of follow-up showed that higher blood
levels of omega-3 fatty acids lowered SCD risk.

A third group studied data from 11,000 heart attack patients
eating one gram per day of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids,
300 mg per day vitamin E, both, or neither.
	Compared to no treatment, the omega-3 supplement
reduced relative risk of death by 41% at 3 months, mostly from
reduced risk for sudden death. Vitamin E gave no benefit.

Title:	Omega-3 Fatty Acids Linked With Lower Sudden Death
	and CHD Risks.
Source:	Journal Watch Cardiology (May 31, 2002).

Title:	Fish and omega-3 fatty acid intake and risk of coronary
	heart disease in women.
Authors:	Hu FB et al.
Source:	JAMA 2002 Apr 10; 287:1815-21.

Title:	Blood levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids and the risk
	of sudden death.
Authors:	Albert CM et al.
Source:	N Engl J Med 2002 Apr 11; 346:1113-8.

Title:	Early protection against sudden death by n-3 poly-
	unsaturated fatty acids after myocardial infarction:
	Time-course analysis of the results of the GISSI-
	Prevenzione.
Authors:	Marchioli R et al.