Regular use of fish oil supplements may increase rather than reduce the risk of first-time heart disease or stroke in people with good cardiovascular health, but it may slow the progression of existing poor cardiovascular health and lower the risk of death, according to a large, long-term study published in the open access journal BMJ Medicine.
Fish oil is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids and is recommended as a dietary preventive measure to prevent the development of cardiovascular disease. However, the evidence on how much of a protective effect fish oil provides is inconclusive, the researchers explained.
To strengthen the evidence base, they set out to estimate the association between fish oil supplements and new cases of atrial fibrillation. Heart attack, stroke, heart failure. Death from any cause in a person with no known cardiovascular disease.
And they are at risk of progressing from good heart health (primary stage) to atrial fibrillation (secondary stage), major cardiovascular events such as heart attacks (tertiary stage), and death (termination). We evaluated the potential role of these supplements. stage).
They drew on 415,737 UK Biobank study participants (55% women) aged 40 to 69 who were surveyed between 2006 and 2010 to collect basic background information. This includes normal dietary intake of oily fish, oil-free fish, and fish oil supplements.
Participants' health status was tracked using medical record data until the end of March 2021 or death, whichever came first.
Nearly one-third of participants (130,365, 31.5%) reported using fish oil supplements regularly. This group was more likely to be older, white, and female. They also had higher alcohol intake and higher rates of oily vs non-oily fish intake, but were less likely to be smokers or live in deprived areas.
During an average monitoring period of approximately 12 years, 18,367 participants developed atrial fibrillation, 22,636 developed a heart attack/stroke or heart failure, 22,140 died, and 14,902 did not develop atrial fibrillation or serious cardiovascular disease.
Of those who progressed from good cardiovascular health to atrial fibrillation, 3,085 developed heart failure, 1,180 had a stroke, and 1,415 had a heart attack. Of those who suffered from heart failure, 2,436 died, while among those who suffered a stroke, 2,088 died, and of those who suffered a heart attack, 2,098 died.
Research has shown that regular use of fish oil supplements plays a differential role in cardiovascular health, disease progression, and mortality.
For people without a history of cardiovascular disease at the start of the monitoring period, regular consumption of fish oil supplements was found to increase the risk of developing atrial fibrillation by 13% and the risk of developing stroke by 5%. Ta.
However, among people who had cardiovascular disease at the start of the monitoring period, regular use of fish oil supplements lowered the risk of progression from atrial fibrillation to heart attack by 15% and lowered the risk of progression from heart failure. It decreased by 9%. until death.
Further detailed analysis revealed that age, gender, smoking, intake of oil-free fish, hypertension, and use of statins and antihypertensive drugs modified the observed associations.
Regular consumption of fish oil supplements increased the risk of a health condition progressing to heart attack, stroke, or heart failure by 6% for women and 6% for nonsmokers. The protective effect of these supplements on the transition from health to death was also greater in men (7% risk reduction) and older participants (11% risk reduction).
The researchers acknowledged that because this was an observational study, no conclusions could be drawn about cause and effect. Additionally, no potentially influential information was available regarding the dosage or formulation of fish oil supplements. And given that most of the participants were white, the findings may not apply to other ethnicities, the researchers added.
However, the researchers concluded that: “Regular use of fish oil supplements may have various effects on the progression of cardiovascular diseases. To clarify the exact mechanism of the development and prognosis of cardiovascular diseases due to regular use of fish oil supplements. requires further research.”
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Journal reference:
Chen, G. et al. (2024). Regular use of fish oil supplements and the course of cardiovascular disease: A prospective cohort study. BMJ Medicine. doi.org/10.1136/bmjmed-2022-000451.
