n-3 POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS AND ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE

Effects of fish oil on hypertension, plasma lipids, and tumor necrosis factor-α in rats with sucrose-induced metabolic syndrome

“…CVDs are one of the significant diet-related health problems; there are a number of epidemiological studies supporting the dietary regulation of each of the metabolic risk factors of metabolic syndrome [7][8][9][10], and there is a great deal of interest in how dietary fat composition influences the development of this syndrome. Long-chain (n-3) polyunsaturated fatty acids have attracted considerable attention for the last few years, as dietary fish oil rich in EPA (20:5 n-3) and DHA (22:6 n-3) fatty acids plays an important role in reducing hypertriglyceridemia and seems to lower mortality from coronary heart disease [11][12][13]. It is important to note, however, that discrepancies exist regarding differences in the effects on metabolic syndrome parameters after fish oil or n-3 fatty acid administration, as well as in the mechanisms proposed to explain such effects.…”

Fish Oils - Their Significance to Human Health

“…Further aspects ofomega-3 consumption of relevance to heart disease risks are the reduction in blood viscosity demonstrated by Woodcock et al 21 , and the reduction in blood pressure shown in healthy volunteers by Dyerberg et al 22 , and in kidhey patients by Rylance et al 23 • Recent reports of a retardation of post-angioplasty restencsis-" offer promise of a new area in which fish oil consumption can be valuable.…”

Docosahexaenoic acid is a strong inhibitor of prostaglandin but not leukotriene biosynthesis.

“…Considerable evidence suggests that human populations whose dietary protein is derived mainly from fish (e.g., Greenland Eskimos) are at low risk with regard to cardiovascular disease as compared with populations consuming diets based on meat or dairy products (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6). It is believed that an important factor underlying this dichotomy is the very different composition of the lipids of fish and those of meat or dairy products, especially with reference to the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids that can serve as prostaglandin (PG) precursors (2-5, 7, 8).…”