Omega-3 for healthy hearts
February 21, 2012
RESEARCHERS at the University of
Sydney have found that omega-3
fatty acids may reduce the risk of
heart attack or stroke in adults who
were small at birth.
The term ‘small at birth’ applies
to the lowest 10% of birth weights
of babies born nationwide.
“People who were small at birth,
have an increased risk of
cardiovascular disease,” said Dr
Michael Skilton, lead author of the
paper, from the University’s Boden
Institute of Obesity, Nutrition,
Exercise & Eating Disorders.
“The greater degree of risk is
partly due to the development,
from early childhood, of arterial
wall thickening which is an
indicator of early atherosclerosis,
leading to a build-up of fat and
plaque, and hardening of the blood
vessels,” he added.
The study, published in Pediatrics,
looked at 616 children born at term
and broke them up into two groups,
the first of which received a 500mg
daily fish oil supplement from the
start of bottle-feeding or six months
of age until five years of age.
This group was also given canolabased
margarines and cooking oil
for the same period.
The second group was given a
500mg daily sunflower oil
supplement as well as omega-6
fatty acid–rich margarines and
cooking oil from the start of bottlefeeding
or from 6 months of age
until 5 years of age.
Researchers followed up the
children when they turned eight,
testing for the presence of atrial
wall thickening and found that
children receiving the sunflower
supplement had thicker arterial
walls if they were small at birth.
This thickening was not found in
children who received the omega-3
supplement.
“The results of the paper suggest
that babies born small may benefit
from a daily omega-3 supplement,
however further studies are
required to confirm this,” the
researchers said.
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