The participants were all 65 or older and free of cardiovascular disease when they enrolled. A food-frequency questionnaire collected data on fish consumption by the participants, who were fallowed for almost seven years. Leaner fish typically was prepared by frying, Siscovick noted, and researchers couldn't determine what impact the cooking method had on the lack of heart benefits. But it looks like fatty fish and fried fish differ in their association with fatal heart attacks. Dr. Artemis Simopoulos, president of the Center for Genetics, Nutrition and Health in Washington, D.C., said the evidence surrounding omega-3 dates back to prehistoric times.
Studies suggest the nutrient was a greater component of human diets as the species evolved.
Contemporary research has shown omega-3s are integral to development of visual acuity in children and has beneficial ef fects on patients with inflammatory or autoimmune illnesses like lupus, arthritis and Crohn's disease, Simopoulos said. The current study bolsters earlier findings about heart benefits ofoinega-3, she said. Siscovick noted that fatty fish should be just one component of a balanced and healthful diet. The heart association's new dietary guidelines, published last year, recommend that adults eat two servings of fatty fish weekly as part of a diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, while limiting saturated fats. Information is not to be duplicated or distributed in any fashion, regardless of intent, without the expressed permission of Canadian Fishing Company .