OmegaQuant Supports Research Project with The Seafood Nutrition Partnership and the Brigham & Women’s Hospital.
A low Omega-3 Index is a known risk factor for heart problems, especially for sudden cardiac death (also known as primary cardiac arrest). The best way to improve the Omega-3 Index is by eating certain kinds of fish, which are the richest sources of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet. To determine the extent to which the Omega-3 Index would be affected by eating more seafood, the Eating Heart Healthy program was undertaken at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston under the direction of Dr. JoAnne Foody, the medical director for the Pollin Cardiovascular Wellness Center.
Twelve women who rarely if ever ate fish had a baseline Omega-3 Index tested. The average was in the low intermediate category (5.1%). Participants attended 4, 90-min training sessions on how to choose and prepare (and, of course, EAT) seafood. Four months later, there was nearly 25% increase in the average Omega-3 Index. All five women in the lowest Omega-3 Index category (<4%) moved up to the intermediate category, a change associated with a significant reduction in risk for sudden cardiac death. This simple experiment showed that important risk factors for heart disease can readily be improved by simple dietary changes.
Follow these links and watch the video below to learn more about the Seafood Nutrition Partnership and the benefits of taking the Heart Healthy Pledge. Eating Heart Healthy Program Helps Participants Learn Beneficial Diet Habits.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2JlpWLGD4k
Photo by Photographer Sergy. Used and edited under Creative Commons License.
