March 20, 2025, Sioux Falls, SD: A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology adds prognostic value to predicting cardiovascular disease (CVD). The study confirms a low omega-3 level is an independent risk factor for CVD and that increasing intake of marine omega-3s (a low-cost, low-risk intervention) might reduce risk for atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD).
For this study, researchers were able to determine the Omega-3 Index of 2550 participants in the Framingham Offspring cohort who were free of ASCVD at baseline. Follow up was around 10 years.
What they found was that the Omega-3 Index contributed statistically significantly to the prediction of future risk for CVD events, and it did so to roughly the same extent as diabetes, cholesterol and smoking. Further, these finding suggest that the health effects of omega-3 operate via different mechanisms than lowering cholesterol or blood pressure.
“If people are concerned about correcting their high cholesterol level to reduce their risk for CVD, then they should be equally concerned about correcting their Omega-3 Index,” commented William S. Harris, PhD, senior investigator of this study, and President of the Fatty Acid Research Institute (FARI). “People can test their Omega-3 Index and if it is sub-optimal, they can take steps to correct; and those steps are very safe, cheap and simple — consume more oily fish on a regular basis and/or take omega-3 dietary supplements.”
Dr. Harris added: “These findings are exciting because I have believed for many years that the Omega-3 Index is as important a risk factor for CVD as the standard risk factors, and yet the medical community does not yet realize it. This study confirms that belief and will hopefully motivate more healthcare providers to start managing their patients’ omega-3 status.”
Because the average American consumes suboptimal amounts of marine omega-3s, 90% of the US population has an Omega-3 Index below the optimal level of 8%, above which is considered the cardioprotective range. Thus, most individuals would need to increase intake of omega-3 EPA and DHA to get to a cardioprotective Omega-3 Index range of ≥ 8%.
<END>
Study link: Journal of Clinical Lipidology, February 2025
Media Inquiries:
Becky Wright
Marketing Communications Director, OmegaQuant
+1-201-675-0197
About OmegaQuant:
OmegaQuant is an independent, CLIA-certified lab that offers nutritional status testing to researchers, clinicians and the public. OmegaQuant performs analysis in Sioux Falls, SD, for commercial and academic research collaborators, and for consumers interested in monitoring their nutritional status in both blood and breast milk. Its goal is to offer the highest quality fatty acid analytical services to researchers and to provide simple tests of nutritional status to consumers, with the ultimate purpose of advancing the science and use of certain nutrients to improve health. Internationally, OmegaQuant works with lab partners based in Australia and the UK. In the UK, it has a partnership with the University of Stirling, based in the Scotland, to help process blood samples from Europe. Learn more @ www.omegaquant.com
About FARI:
FARI was established in 2020 as a non-profit foundation that brings together nutrition scientists and biostatistical experts with strong publication records and expertise in fatty acids to accelerate discovery of the relationship between fatty acids, especially omega-3s, and health. FARI is currently the only organization focused directly on discovering and publishing research evaluating the health effects of individual fatty acids. Learn more @ www.faresinst.org