Omega-3 Prevents Accumulation of Fat in Aorta

NEW YORK—New research from Columbia University Medical Center has found that a diet rich in fish oils can prevent the accumulation of fat in the aorta, and the beneficial actions of fish oil that block cholesterol buildup in arteries are even found at high fat intakes. The study was published Feb. 5 in the American Heart Association’s Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.

The study, led by Richard J. Deckelbaum, MD, director of the Columbia Institute of Human Nutrition, was conducted in three separate populations of mice—one was fed a balanced diet; one fed a diet resembling a “Western” diet high in saturated fat; and, one fed a high-fish-fat diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Researchers found that the fatty acids contained in fish oil markedly inhibit the entry of “bad,” or LDL, cholesterol into arteries and, as a result, much less cholesterol collects in these vessels. They found this is related to the ability of those fatty acids to markedly decrease lipoprotein lipase, a molecule that traps LDL in the arterial wall. This likely will prove to be important as a new mechanism which helps explain the benefits of omega-3 fatty acids on heart health.

Deckelbaum advises those interested in increasing omega-3 intakes to do so by either increasing fish intake or by using supplements that contain the “long-chain” fatty acids, EPA and DHA, which are found in cold-water fish.