How Omega-3 Fights Coronary Heart Disease

Introduction
 

Ever experience the wound is warm to the touch? Or swollen and redness around the cuts? These are the signs and symptoms of inflammation that is happening inside the body. Inflammation is the body’s way of protecting itself from infection, illness, and injury. There are two types of inflammation [1]:

Acute Inflammation Chronic Inflammation
• ‘Good’ type • ‘Bad’ type
• Short-term • Long-term
• Protects against further damage and
helps body to recover
• Linked with a range of diseases

Both types of inflammation are helping the body to remove damaged cells, viruses, bacteria, and heal itself. However, sometimes, inflammation can persist longer than necessary, which is called chronic inflammation that causing more harm than benefit. Chronic inflammation is thought to be the cause of many chronic diseases, including Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). Prolonged inflammation may promote the growth of plaques, loosen plaque in your arteries and trigger blood clots — the primary cause of heart attacks and strokes [2] but it is preventable. There are lots of remedies in the market to help in preventing CHD, and the most common one is Omega-3 from fish oil.

How Omega-3 helps in preventing CHD?

REDUCE SYMPTOMS AS BELOW:

Inflammation

Omega-3 has shown to have a suppressing effect on the chemicals that will induce inflammation in our body [3]. Hence, omega-3 may contribute to their anti-inflammatory property towards the inflamed site of atherosclerosis.

Triglycerides level

High levels of triglycerides have been linked with atherosclerotic plaque build-up in the artery walls that increases the risk of CHD. Studies have shown that omega-3 tend to reduce triglycerides level by reducing the secretion from the liver [4].

Risk for abnormal heart rhythm

Other than anti-inflammation property, omega-3 also helps in regulating the heartbeats that able to prevent the sudden death that causes by loss of heart function [5].

Blood pressure

High blood pressure will exert extra forces to the artery walls and damage the arteries, which can lead to atherosclerotic plaque buildup. However, a high dosage of omega-3 was shown to affect on lowering heart rate that can prevent the unstable plaque rupture [6].

American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a healthy individual to consume at least two servings of fatty fish weekly. However, the consumption of fatty fish may be easier said than done in Malaysia, as it may be a financial burden for some families. Moreover, some may not consume fish regularly due to the fishy taste or the fishbone. Hence, supplementation is one of the alternatives to load up the omega-3 intake. Look for supplement contains double the amount of active ingredient (EPA + DHA) in one capsule compared to standard strength fish oil.  This convenient dosage helps you to achieve Omega-3 requirement easily and have better compliance. If you are not a huge fan of the fishy taste, fret not, there is a product with improved the palatability with better taste and color, providing the maximum benefits of omega-3 fatty acids with an optimum combination of cost and quality.

References
 
  1. https://www.heartfoundation.org.nz/about-us/news/blogs/food-and-inflammation
  2. Danielle Swanson, Robert Block, Shaker A. Mousa, Omega-3 Fatty Acids EPA and DHA: Health Benefits Throughout Life, Advances in Nutrition, Volume 3, Issue 1, January 2012, Pages 1–7, https://doi.org/10.3945/an.111.000893
  3. Calder PC. The role of marine omega‐3 (n‐3) fatty acids in inflammatory processes, atherosclerosis and plaque stability. Molecular nutrition & food research. 2012 Jul;56(7):1073-80.
  4. Bäck M. Omega-3 fatty acids in atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease. Future science OA. 2017 Oct 5;3(4): FSO236.
  5. Kang JX. Reduction of heart rate by omega-3 fatty acids and the potential underlying mechanisms. Frontiers in physiology. 2012 Oct 30;3:416.
  6. Liu JC, Conklin SM, Manuck SB, Yao JK, Muldoon MF. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids and blood pressure. American journal of hypertension. 2011 Oct 1;24(10):1121-6.
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