PITTSBURGH—Increasing dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids found in fish and fish oils could help prevent artery calcification and heart disease, according to a new study published in the journal Heart.
To research the relative incidence of coronary artery calcification (CAC), which can predict heart disease, lead researcher Akira Sekikawa, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, and his team studied about 350 middle-aged men in Japan and the United States during a 5-year period.
After monitoring factors that can affect heart health, such as smoking, cholesterol and alcohol consumption, as well as diabetes and high blood pressure, they found the Japanese participants showed a significantly lower rate of CAC and were also found to ingest marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids at levels 100% higher than those of the U.S. men.
The average Japanese person living in Japan consumes about 100 grams of fish per day, according to the research, and the average American eats only 7 to 13 grams of fish per day. Findings indicate that more research should be conducted on the effect of marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids on heart disease.
A recent study also shows consuming omega-3s through fish, nuts, leafy greens and oils can help improve sleep quality.