March 2, 2012 – Omega-3 fatty acid supplements in the first five years of life may protect against MI [myocardial infarction, or heart attack] and stroke in later life, a new study suggests.
Cardiologists from Sydney University and the University of California found that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in early childhood prevented the association of impaired foetal growth with arterial wall thickening.
The study randomised 176 children with a birth weight below the ≤ 90 percentile to 500mg daily fish oil supplement and canola-based margarine aimed at achieving a dietary omega-6:omega-3 ratio of 5:1, while a control group maintained a ratio similar to that of the general population 15:1 to 20:1.
After an eight-year follow-up, the researchers reported a difference in carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) of 0.041 millimetres per kilogram birth weight between the two groups (adjusted for gestational age and gender).
When they looked at the association between foetal growth and wall thickness of the artery, they saw a negative association among the control group, but when they looked at the omega-3 group, they saw no such association.
The authors speculated that omega-3 intervention could potentially reduced the risk of future myocardial infarction by 5-7 per cent and reduce the risk of future stroke by 6-8 per cent per kg decrease in birth weight (adjusted for gestational age and gender) for birth weights below the point of intersection.
Read the full story at the Irish Medical Times.