Those who have close relatives affected by cardiovascular disease may have extra to gain by eating more fatty fish. This is shown by a new study published in the journal Circulation.
Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines contain the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
These fatty acids are important for many of the body’s functions, but cannot be manufactured by the body and must come through the diet. Countless studies have shown that it is important for everyone to eat a diet that contains omega-3.
Now comes a large international study which shows that it is likely to be especially important for people who have cardiovascular disease in their family history. The cardiovascular diseases that the researchers have looked at are fatal and non-fatal coronary diseases such as unstable angina, myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest, as well as cerebral infarction (stroke).
Cardiovascular disease is to some extent hereditary, twin studies have shown that, but it has been difficult to find which genes are in control. A strong hypothesis is therefore that it is a combination of genetics and environment, says Karin Leander, senior lecturer and associate professor in epidemiology at Karolinska Institutet and research leader for the study.
Therefore, she and her research colleagues have investigated the effect of the interaction between family history and dietary intake. In the study, they have combined data for over 40,000 people without cardiovascular disease. During the follow-up period, nearly 8,000 of these were affected by some form of cardiovascular disease. In their analysis, the researchers can show that those who both had cardiovascular disease in a close relative such as a parent or sibling, and also low levels of the omega-3 fatty acids EPA/DHA had an over 40 percent increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease. The increased risk for those who “only” had cardiovascular disease in the close family was 25 percent.
The study indicates that those who have cardiovascular disease in the family have a lot to gain from eating more fatty fish compared to others, says Karin Leander.
The levels of EPA/DHA have been measured in all study participants. Because these fatty acids cannot be produced in the body, the levels are a reliable measure of the food intake of fatty fish, according to Karin Leander.
The fact that the measurements of fatty acids in blood and tissue are objective, unlike self-reported data on eating habits, is an important advantage, she says.
So despite the fact that it is an observational study in an area where there are already plenty of randomized clinical studies, these findings mean completely new knowledge, according to Karin Leander.
We are the first to have studied the effect of the combination of family history and intake of fatty fish using fatty acid measurements.
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