Literally hundreds of clinical trials, including some that
have gained widespread attention, have been done on the possible benefits of
omega-3 fatty acids for the prevention of heart disease – producing conflicting
results, varied claims, and frustrated consumers unsure what to believe.
A recent analysis done by scientists in the Linus Pauling
Institute at Oregon State University, published in the Journal of Lipid
Research, has sorted through many of these competing findings, and it helps to
explain why so many of the studies seem to arrive at differing conclusions.
The review concludes that both fish consumption and dietary
omega-3 fatty acid supplements may still help prevent heart disease; that some
fatty acids, from certain sources, are more effective than others; that these
compounds may have enormous value for serious health problems other than heart
disease; and that the very effectiveness of modern drug therapies for heart
disease may be one explanation for the conflicting findings on the benefits of
omega-3 fatty acids.