When it comes to omega-3 fatty acids, most people think of salmon, but a new study discovered that alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a key plant-based version of the nutrient, can boost heart health and reduce the risk of heart disease in people who don’t eat fish.
The researchers discovered that eating ALA, which is present in plant-based foods like walnuts and flaxseeds, was linked to a 10% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 20% lower risk of catastrophic coronary heart disease in comprehensive literature analysis.
The analysis, according to Penny Kris-Etherton, Evan Pugh University Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State, reveals that there are many approaches to satisfy the omega-3 fatty acid guidelines.
“People may not want to eat seafood for a variety of reasons, but it’s still important for them to consume omega-3s to reduce the risk of heart disease and to promote overall health,” Kris-Etherton said. “Plant-based ALA in the form of walnuts or flaxseeds can also provide these benefits, especially when incorporated into a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”
They also discovered evidence that persons who eat seafood may benefit from ingesting plant-based omega-3s, according to Jennifer Fleming, assistant teaching professor of nutrition at Penn State.
“When people with low levels of omega-3s in their diet ate ALA, they saw a benefit in terms of cardiovascular health,” Fleming said. “But when people with high levels of omega-3s from other sources ate more ALA, they also saw a benefit. It could be that ALA works synergistically with other omega-3s.”
With the advent of precision nutrition and personalized medicine, we are more aware than ever of the need to identify and target individuals who might get the largest benefit from increasing their consumption of ALA-rich foods. Paying close attention to the amount of ALA in the blood and how it affects heart health could help in this effort.
Aleix Sala-Vila
The review was recently published in Advances in Nutrition.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been related to a lower risk of heart disease in previous studies. However, this finding was based on a considerable body of evidence from marine-derived omega-3s, while the benefits of ALA were less well-supported.
The researchers used data from prior studies to assess the effects of ALA on heart disease and risk variables such as blood pressure and inflammation for the review. Both randomized controlled trials and observational research were included in the review.
While some observational studies relied on participants stating how often they ate various foods to establish how much ALA they were consuming, others employed biomarkers, which are a method of assessing ALA levels in the blood, to provide a more exact measure.
“With the advent of precision nutrition and personalized medicine, we are more aware than ever of the need to identify and target individuals who might get the largest benefit from increasing their consumption of ALA-rich foods,” said Aleix Sala-Vila, lead author on the paper and researcher at the Institut Hospital del Mar d’Investigacions Mèdiques-Barcelona. “Paying close attention to the amount of ALA in the blood and how it affects heart health could help in this effort.”
The researchers discovered that ALA reduced atherogenic lipids and lipoproteins such as total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides, as well as blood pressure and inflammation, after reviewing the data.
According to Emilio Ros, emeritus investigator at Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, a research institute attached to Hospital Clnic of Barcelona and Barcelona University, this could help explain ALA’s benefits to heart health.
“We were able to find evidence supporting current dietary guidelines that ALA should provide about 0.6%-1% of total energy in a day, which is about 1.1 grams a day for women and 1.6 grams a day for men,” Ros said, “and can be incorporated into the diet with foods such as walnuts, flaxseeds, and cooking oils such as canola and soybean oils.”
These amounts are roughly equivalent to 1/2 ounce of walnuts or just under one teaspoon of flaxseed oil.
Future research is needed, according to the researchers, to better understand the effects of ALA on other major chronic diseases. Furthermore, it is necessary to assess whether fresh scientific evidence supports new, higher ALA dietary guidelines. The California Walnut Commission helped support this research.
