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Omega-3 Shows Protection Against Death Related to Heart Disease, Without Risk of Prostate Cancer

Should you take omega-3 supplements? Or maybe try eating two to three portions of fish high in omega-3s per week, as the American Heart Association advises?

If you read the headlines about nutrition and health, it could seem a little hazy. Because of this, scientists at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute are still investigating the potential advantages and disadvantages of this well-known supplement, particularly with regard to the risk of prostate cancer and cardiovascular health.

The Intermountain research team presented two new studies about omega-3s at the 2019 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia on Nov. 17, 2019.

In one study, the Intermountain research team identified 87 patients who were part of the Intermountain INSPIRE Registry and had developed prostate cancer. These patients were also tested for plasma levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), which are two common omega-3 fatty acids.

Higher omega-3 levels were not associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer, according to the research team’s analysis of 149 men who made up a matched control group.

This study is important because we looked at how omega-3 helps patients who have already developed the disease, and its effects on survival both in getting to the first angiography to be diagnosed (vs. having a heart attack or worse before even knowing they have heart disease) and thereafter.

Viet T. Le

Viet T. Le, MPAS, PA, researcher and physician assistant at the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute, said they undertook this study in light of findings from a 2013 paper from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that suggested a possible link between higher omega-3 plasma levels and the development of prostate cancer, one that has been debated since publication.

“If I’m recommending omega-3 for my patients to save their hearts, I want to make sure I’m not putting them at risk for prostate cancer,” said Le. “Our study found no evidence of a link between the two.”

In the second study presented at the 2019 American Heart Association Scientific Sessions, the Intermountain researchers looked at 894 patients undergoing coronary angiography (a test that shows how blood flows through the arteries in the heart).

These patients had no prior history of heart attack or coronary artery disease, however upon their first angiogram, about 40% of those patients had severe disease and about 10% had three-vessel disease, Le said.

Patient’s plasma levels of omega-3 metabolites, such as DHA and EPA, were also tested by the researchers. Following those patients, it was determined whether they experienced a later heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or death.

Researchers discovered that regardless of whether patients had severe disease or not on their initial angiography, those with higher rates of omega-3 metabolites had a lower likelihood of those follow-up unfavorable effects.

“This study is important because we looked at how omega-3 helps patients who have already developed the disease, and its effects on survival both in getting to the first angiography to be diagnosed (vs. having a heart attack or worse before even knowing they have heart disease) and thereafter,” said Le.

“While a seeming association between higher plasma omega-3 levels and the findings of severe heart disease upon initial angiogram might raise alarms that omega-3 isn’t beneficial, they did live to see a doctor and get diagnosed,” Le added. “And we saw a link between higher levels of omega-3 and their survival rate thereafter.”

Other members of the research team include: Kirk U. Knowlton, Raymond O. McCubrey, Stacey Knight, Mohit Jain, Jeramie Watrous, Mahan Najhawan, Khoi Dao, Tami L. Bair, Benjamin D. Horne, Joseph B. Muhlestein, Donald L. Lappe, Madisyn Taylor, John F. Carlquist, and Jeffrey L. Anderson.

This research was sponsored by the Intermountain Research and Medical Foundation and the Dell Loy Hansen Foundation, Inc.

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