Omega-3 & 6 combination shown to have cardioprotective effect in women
With the majority of women unaware that they may be at risk of cardiovascular disease - the condition accounts for 55% of deaths in women and 43% of deaths in men - research carried out at the University of Guelph in Canada is very timely. The results show that combinations of Croda's omega-3 and 6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrates, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), can help to protect against heart disease.
The studies1 established that daily supplementation with 4g EPA/DHA and 2g GLA lowered patients' risk of myocardial infarction (MI) even more effectively than EPA/DHA alone. The estimated reduction in the 10-year risk of MI was 43%.
The clinical trials evaluated the cardiovascular effects of different ratios of Croda's high potency Incromega and Crossential products (4g EPA/DHA, 0-4g GLA per day) on healthy women (n = 31). Plasma lipids and fatty acid profiles of serum phospholipids were measured on day 0 and day 28. Patients supplemented with 4g EPA/DHA and 2g GLA demonstrated the greatest overall reduction in cardiovascular risk factors with significantly reduced plasma triglycerides (-35%), LDL-cholesterol (-11.3%), and non-HDL-cholesterol (-14.4%).
The American Heart Association recently updated and reinforced its recommendations for EPA/DHA supplementation in cardiovascular disease patients. These latest studies indicate that combining the omega-3 lipids EPA and DHA with omega-6 GLA may provide additional protective benefits for healthy subjects.