28 June 2013
Increased intakes of omega-3 fatty acids may reduce heart rate reactivity to mental stress, a new US study suggests.
In the randomized controlled trial, 67 participants with normal blood pressure who received either a 9-gram fish oil supplement (with 1.6 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid and 1.1 grams of docosahexaenoic acid) or a placebo every day for eight weeks were submitted to a five-minute mental stress protocol both at the start of the study and eight weeks later (1). The study results showed that the participants who had taken omega-3 fatty acids had reduced increases in heart rate and muscle sympathetic nerve activity related to mental stress situations in comparison to the placebo group.
The researchers commented that the data supported and expanded the growing body of evidence that fish oil may have positive health benefits regarding neural cardiovascular control in humans. The potential efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids in reducing the ability of (long-term) psychological stress to damage health may help prevent the onset or progression of cardiovascular disease. Future studies might examine the influence of longer-term fish oil supplementation on neural cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress, with a particular focus on aged and/or diseased populations.
6 October 2016
In a new study, a group of low to middle income mothers (n=1,094) in Cuernavaca, Mexico who were supplemented with 400 mg of algal DHA omega-3 during the last half of pregnancy had children with higher scores on a test of cognitive function that measured sustained attention.
26 December 2012
Regular supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids and coenzyme Q10 reduces the level of a biomarker linked to prostate cancer risk, reports a new study from Iran.
16 October 2012
According to a new study from Spain, increased intake of vitamin K1 may lower the risk of developing type-2 diabetes in elderly people with a high risk of cardiovascular disease.
