Congestive heart failure and omega-3-fatty acids

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-In-Chief: Kalsang Dolma, M.B.B.S.[2]

Omega-3 Fatty Acid[edit | edit source]

Therapeutic Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acid in Congestive Heart Failure[edit | edit source]

Landmark Studies[edit | edit source]

The GISSI-HF Trial (Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto Miocardico)[edit | edit source]

• A double blind, placebo controlled trial by GISSI-HF investigator randomly assigned 6975 patients with chronic heart failure of New York Heart Association (NYHA) class II-IV to n-3 PUFA 1 g daily(n=3494) or placebo(n=3481) and were followed up for a median of 3.9 years. The study showed reduced death from any cause in n-3 PUFA group (27%) as compared to placebo group (29%). Also, the end points of deaths and admission to hospitals for cardiovascular reasons is lower in n-3 PUFA group (57%) in comparison to placebo group (59%).^[1]
• A substudy of GISSI-HF trial done in 608 chronic heart failure patients indicates an increase in LV ejection fraction in n-3 PUFA group by 8.1% at 1st year, 11.1% at 2 years and 11.5% at 3 years as compare to placebo group with increase of 6.3% at 1 year, 8.2% at 2 years and 9.9% at 3 years. This small but statistically significant advantage in terms of LV function by n-3 PUFA supplementation has been seen in patients with symptomatic heart failure of any etiology.^[2]

Preventive Role of Omega-3 Fatty Acid in Congestive Heart Failure[edit | edit source]

Limited data suggests the preventive role of n-3 PUFA supplementation in lowering the incidence of heart failure. Controlled studies with omega-3 fish oil suggest its cordioprotective role in heart failure. The American Heart Association has recently recommended the use of fish and/or fish oil supplements for all patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Landmark Studies[edit | edit source]

• A prospective cohort study in 4738 adults of >65 years without heart failure at baseline, has shown that consumption of tuna and other broiled or baked fish is associated with lower incidence of heart failure and no such association is found in individuals consuming fried fish.^[3]
• Another prospective cohort study in 2735 US adults without prevalent heart disease has shown that plasma phospholipid eicosapentanoic acid (EPA) concentration is inversely related with incident CHF. This result also supports that participants with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acid are less likely to develop congestive heart failure in follow up.^[4][5]

References[edit | edit source]

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