In a study from McMaster University and elsewhere, scientists found that eating oily fish regularly can help prevent heart disease in high-risk people, such as those who have vascular disease.
Fish and other seafood (especially cold-water fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, herring, and sardines), nuts and seeds (such as flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts), and plant oils (such as flaxseed oil, soybean oil, and canola oil) are rich in omega-3.
Omega-3s are nutrients that help build and maintain a healthy body. They’re key to the structure of every cell wall you have.
They’re also an energy source and help keep your heart, lungs, blood vessels, and immune system working the way they should.
Previous studies report inconsistent links between eating fish, a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, and risks of heart disease and death.
Whether the associations vary between people with and those without vascular disease is unknown.
Vascular Disease affects the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients throughout your body and remove waste from your tissues.
In this study, researchers analyzed data from 147645 people (139 827 without heart disease and 7818 with heart disease) from 21 countries and 43,413 patients with vascular disease from 40 countries.
The team recorded fish eating in these people using food frequency questionnaires.
The researchers found that during 9 years of follow-up, compared with little or no fish intake (≤50 g/month), an intake of 350 g/week or more was not linked to the risk of major heart disease or death.
But in the patients with vascular disease, the risks of heart disease and death were lowest with intakes of at least 175 g/week (or approximately 2 servings/week) compared with 50 g/month or lower.
There was no further decrease in heart disease risk with consumption of 350 g/week or higher.
The team also showed that fish with higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids were strongly linked to a lower risk of heart disease.
The link between fish intake and lower risks of heart disease and death were found among patients with vascular disease but not in general populations.
The researchers concluded that a minimal fish intake of 175 g (approximately 2 servings) weekly is linked to a lower risk of heart disease and death in people with vascular disease.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
For more information about health, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The research was published in JAMA Internal Medicine and conducted by Andrew Mente et al.
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