Review of Omega-3 Science Supports DRI for Heart Benefits
Lee Swanson Research Update
A comprehensive review of studies on the benefits of omega-3 consumption has led scientists to recommend the establishment of a Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) for EPA and DHA to reduce the risk of heart disease.
The strength of evidence linking eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease was "remarkable," they said, prompting them to recommend a DRI of between 250 and 500 mg per day.
In 2002, the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that there was insufficient evidence to define DRIs for EPA and DHA. The current review, based on a workshop organized last year by the Technical Committee on Dietary Lipids of the International Life Sciences Institute of North America, was designed to examine new data that have emerged since 2002.
The workshop aimed to examine evidence of the benefits of EPA and DHA on coronary heart disease (CHD) and cognitive decline.
In a supplement published this year in The Journal of Nutrition and based on the workshop conclusions, the scientists stated that evidence was clear for the benefits of EPA and DHA for reducing the risk of CHD. The findings add momentum to the drive to establish an omega-3 DRI, a move that has long been supported by the research community and the food and dietary supplement industries.
The scientists reviewed over 15 prospective cohort studies in generally healthy populations, a retrospective case-control study of sudden cardiac death, four large randomized controlled trials with fish or fish oil in patients with and without known heart disease, and several in vivo and animal experimental studies. This evidence indicates that modest EPA and DHA consumption "markedly" reduces the risk of cardiac death, they said.
"The quality, strength and concordance of this evidence are remarkable, meeting and indeed generally exceeding those for any other dietary factor for which a DRI has been set based on reducing risk for chronic disease, including saturated fat, dietary cholesterol, salt and dietary fiber," they wrote.
"For primary prevention of cardiac death, the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States and nearly all other developed nations, current evidence supports a DRI for EPA and DHA between 250 and 500 mg per day.
The review also included emerging data on the cognitive benefits of EPA and DHA. The evidence of protective effects of omega-3 long chain fatty acids from fish on risk of dementia is "promising but limited," the scientists said.
Journal of Nutrition 139(4):804S-819S, 2009
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