title: Marine omega-3 fatty acids and coronary heart disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide an overview of the key earlier intervention studies with marine omega-3 fatty acids and to review and comment on recent studies reporting on mortality outcomes and on selected underlying mechanisms of action.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Studies relating marine omega-3 fatty acid status to current or future outcomes continue to indicate benefits, for example, on incident heart failure, congestive heart failure, acute coronary syndrome, and all-cause mortality. New mechanistic insights into the actions of marine omega-3 fatty acids have been gained. Three fairly large secondary prevention trials have not confirmed the previously reported benefit of marine omega-3 fatty acids towards mortality in survivors of myocardial infarction. Studies of marine omega-3 fatty acids in atrial fibrillation and in cardiac surgery-induced atrial fibrillation have produced inconsistent findings and meta-analyses demonstrate no benefit. A study confirmed that marine omega-3 fatty acids reduce the inflammatory burden with advanced atherosclerotic plaques, so inducing greater stability.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recent studies of marine omega-3 fatty acids on morbidity of, and mortality from, coronary and cardiovascular disease have produced mixed findings. These studies raise new issues to be addressed in future research.
authors.affiliation: Human Development and Health Academic Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, and Southampton NIHR Nutrition, Diet and Lifestyle Biomedical Research Unit, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, Hampshire, UK. pcc@soton.ac.uk
authors.forename: Philip C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Calder
authors.forename: Parveen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yaqoob
mesh_terms: D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D001792:Blood Platelets; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005342:Fibrinolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D055502:Secondary Prevention / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D004281:Docosahexaenoic Acids; D015118:Eicosapentaenoic Acid