Fish oils and cardioprotection – mechanisms explored

Interest in the cardioprotective properties of marine omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) has been renewed following the publication of three large trials earlier this year demonstrating a reduction in sudden cardiac deaths from the ingestion of marine n-3 PUFAs, along with the recent availability in the UK of its pharmacological equivalent, Omacor™. Secondary prevention trials, such as the Diet and Reinfarction Trial (DART) and the more recent analysis of the GISSI-Prevenzione data, found a reduction in sudden deaths associated with supplementation of n-3 PUFAs in post-myocardial infarction patients.1,2