I make sure i take my fish oil capsules

August 4, 2008

" Our study suggests that the very low rates of coronary heart disease

among Japanese living in Japan may be due to their lifelong high

consumption of fish. "

" Japanese eat about 3 ounces (85 grams) of fish a day on average,

while Americans eat fish perhaps twice a week. Nutritional studies

show that intake of omega-3 fatty acids from fish averages 1.3 grams

per day in Japan, compared to 0.2 grams per day in the United States. "

Name=scienceNews

Abstract:

Marine-Derived n-3 Fatty Acids and Atherosclerosis in Japanese,

Japanese-American, and White Men

Results: Japanese men had the lowest levels of atherosclerosis,

whereas whites and Japanese Americans had similar levels. Japanese had

2-fold higher levels of marine-derived n-3 fatty acids than whites and

Japanese Americans in the U.S. Japanese had significant and

nonsignificant inverse associations of marine-derived n-3 fatty acids

with IMT and CAC prevalence, respectively. The significant inverse

association with IMT remained after adjusting for traditional

cardiovascular risk factors. Neither whites nor Japanese Americans had

such associations. Significant differences between Japanese and whites

in multivariable-adjusted IMT (mean difference 39 µm, 95% confidence

interval [CI]: 21 to 57µm, p < 0.001) and CAC prevalence (mean

difference 10.7%, 95% CI: 2.9% to 18.4%, p = 0.007) became

nonsignificant after we adjusted further for marine-derived n-3 fatty

acids (22 µm, 95% CI: –1 to 46 µm, p = 0.065 and 5.0%, 95% CI: –5.3%

to 15.4%, p = 0.341, respectively).

Conclusions: Very high levels of marine-derived n-3 fatty acids have

antiatherogenic properties that are independent of traditional

cardiovascular risk factors and may contribute to lower the burden of

atherosclerosis in Japanese, a lower burden that is unlikely the

result of genetic factors.

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