Health Information Eating fish to lower risk of coronary artery disease
Eating fish to lower risk of coronary artery disease
Eating fish may lower your risk of coronary artery disease.1 The American Heart Association recommends that healthy
adults eat at least two servings of fish per week. Oily fish, which contain
omega-3 fatty acids, are best for your heart. These fish include tuna, salmon,
mackerel, lake trout, herring, and sardines.2
In people with heart problems, omega-3 fatty acids may help lower
their risk of death. Omega-3 fatty acids can:3
Lower levels of
triglycerides (fats that may help clog
arteries).
Affect blood clotting.
Lower blood
pressure.
Omega-3 fatty acids also lower the risk of sudden cardiac death and
abnormal heartbeats.
If you have high triglycerides, your doctor may recommend that you
take a daily fish oil supplement with 2 to 4 grams of omega-3 fatty acids. Do
not take more than 3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids supplements without
consulting your doctor, because high amounts can cause excessive bleeding in
some people.4 Your doctor may prescribe a medicine
that is a highly concentrated form of omega-3 fatty acids.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommend that women who may become
pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children5, 6 should not eat shark, swordfish,
king mackerel, or tilefish, because these fish have higher mercury
concentrations. But for middle-aged and older people, the protection fish offer
the heart outweighs the risks of eating these fish. Eating a variety of fish
may reduce the amount of mercury you eat.
Citations
Stone NJ (1996). Fish consumption, fish oil,
lipids, and coronary heart disease. Circulation, 94(9):
2337-2340.
American Heart Association (2006). Diet and lifestyle
recommendations revision 2006. Circulation, 114(1):
82-96. [Erratum in Circulation, 114(1): e27.]
Kris-Etherton P, et al. (2001). Summary of the
scientific conference on dietary fatty acids and cardiovascular health:
Conference summary from the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart
Association. Circulation, 103(7): 1034-1039.
Kris-Etherton PM, et al. (2002). Fish consumption,
fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease. Circulation, 106(21): 2747-2757.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2004). What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish: 2004 EPA and FDA advice for women who might become pregnant, women who are pregnant, nursing mothers, young children. Available online: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advice.html.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2006). Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish. Available online: www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html.
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Stone NJ (1996). Fish consumption, fish oil,
lipids, and coronary heart disease. Circulation, 94(9):
2337-2340.
American Heart Association (2006). Diet and lifestyle
recommendations revision 2006. Circulation, 114(1):
82-96. [Erratum in Circulation, 114(1): e27.]
Kris-Etherton P, et al. (2001). Summary of the
scientific conference on dietary fatty acids and cardiovascular health:
Conference summary from the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart
Association. Circulation, 103(7): 1034-1039.
Kris-Etherton PM, et al. (2002). Fish consumption,
fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, and cardiovascular disease. Circulation, 106(21): 2747-2757.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2004). What you need to know about mercury in fish and shellfish: 2004 EPA and FDA advice for women who might become pregnant, women who are pregnant, nursing mothers, young children. Available online: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/fish/advice.html.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2006). Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish. Available online: www.cfsan.fda.gov/~frf/sea-mehg.html.
