Health
Problems
Heart Disease
Research
Diet & Lifestyle
Using
polyunsaturated fatty acids to prevent heart attack
Italian researchers have investigated the effects of nutritional
supplements n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in patients
suffering from a heart attack. Despite the conflicting evidence
regarding the benefits of foods rich in Vitamin E and n-3
polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) 11.324 patients who have survived
a recent heart attack (i.e. within the previous three months), were
randomly assigned supplements of n-3 PUFA (1g daily, n=2836),
vitamin E (300 mg daily, n=2830), both (n-2830) or none (control,
n=2828) for three and a half years.
At the end of the study, the researchers
discovered that treatment with n-3 PUFA, but not vitamin E,
significantly lowered the risk of death by stroke or heart attack.
The dietary supplement therefore was shown
to offer measurable benefits and it was considered, as a result,
that n-3 PUFA supplementation can produce statistically significant
decrease in risk of death and cardiovascular death. However, it was
noted that Vitamin E had no observable effect in this regard and
that its effects upon fatal cardiovascular events need to be further
explored.
GRUPPO ITALIANO
per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’Infarto mio-cardicoGruppo
Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell’infarto miocardico.
Lancet 354 (9177): 447-55. 7 Aug 1999
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