Can Omega-3s Repair the Damage from a Heart Attack?

A high dose of omega-3 fatty acids can improve heart health and function in patients who have had an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), according to new research.

It is well known that omega-3 fatty acids can benefit cardiovascular health, but researchers were curious about how omega-3 fatty acids would affect cardiac structures in patients whose hearts had been damaged by an AMI.
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To examine further, the researchers performed a multicenter, double-blind trial that included patients presenting with an AMI. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either a high daily dose of omega-3 fatty acids (n=180) or a placebo (n=178) for 6 months.

The researchers examined patients’ cardiac structure and tissue characteristics via cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at baseline and at follow-up.

After a 6-month follow-up, patients taking omega-3 fatty acids had reduced their left ventricular systolic volume index by 5.8% and noninfarct myocardial fibrosis by 5.6%, compared with those assigned to placebo.

“Treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction with high-dose omega-3 fatty acids was associated with reduction of adverse left ventricular remodeling, noninfarct myocardial fibrosis, and serum biomarkers of systemic inflammation beyond current guideline-based standard of care,” the researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:
Heydari B, Abdullah S, Pottala JV, et al. Effect of omega-3 acid ethyl esters on left ventricular remodeling after acute myocardial infarction: the OMEGA-REMODEL randomized clinical trial [published online August 2, 2016]. Circulation. http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.019949.