Anti-inflammatory Effects of Fish Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

A new study shows that omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish, are beneficial to the heart by their inflammation-fighting effect.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a type of unsaturated known to reduce inflammation by a mechanism that has not yet been elucidated. Since inflammation of blood vessels induces the development of atherosclerosis, that constitutes a risk for heart disease and stroke, people who eat fish regularly are at reduced cardiovascular risk.

The study, published in the latest issue of the "Journal of the American College of Cardiology", compared fish consumption and blood inflammation markers in approximately 3,000 men and women, with an average age of 45, in the Attica region of Greece.

The results show that, in people who ate at least 10.5 ounces of fish weekly, the level of C-reactive protein and the level of interleukin-6 – both indicators of inflammation – were 33% lower than in people who did not eat fish; the level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha was 21% lower in people who consumed fish. The analysis of other signs of inflammation led to the same conclusion. People who consumed 5-10 ounces of fish per week had lower levels of inflammation markers in the bloodstream as well, as compared to those who did not eat fish at all.

An average dose of 0.6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids appears to be the optimal level necessary to achieve the inflammation-fighting benefits and lower the risk of heart disease. This is the amount that can be found in one or two fish oil capsules or in just less than 2 ounces in a mixed variety of fish.

Fish that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids include mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon.

Although many of the people in the study ate fried fish, Demosthenes Panagiotakos, co-author of the study, said it is probably best to eat baked fish.

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