by James O’Keefe, MD, FACC
Headlines on the morning news TV shows, newspapers, etc. concerning a study published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine may have caused unnecessary concern about the effectiveness of omega-3 oils. Please be aware that this study did not involve typical DHA and EPA omega-3 supplements, but rather margarines. Researchers assigned 4,837 patients, aged 60-80 (78% men), who had had a myocardial infarction and were receiving state-of-the-art care, to four trial groups. Each group was given one of four margarines, one supplemented with 400 mg EPA and DHA, one with 2 g ALA (alpha-linolenic acid) , one supplemented with EPA+DHA and ALA, and one placebo margarine.
The end result showed no benefit from any of the supplemented margarines. Please note that 400 mg of EPA+DHA falls far below the American Heart Association’s guidelines of 1,000 mg DHA-EPA per day for individuals with diagnosed heart disease. The AHA does not recommend ALA supplementation. Additionally, margarine is high in calories, and is a food to be used sparingly, if at all. Encouraging the liberal daily use of margarine is not a good idea if one is trying to improve health.
Bottom Line: If you have diagnosed heart disease or other risk factors, follow the American Heart Association’s guidelines and aim for 1,000 mg DHA+EPA per day. The AHA recommends 500 mg DHA+EPA daily for those without heart disease. If you have high triglycerides you may need much higher daily doses of DHA+EPA, and you should discuss this with your physician.
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