Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids focusing on eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases: a review of the state-of-the-art.

This article reviews studies on omega-3 PUFAs in the past 50 years, and identifies issues relevant to cardiovascular risk. EXPERT OPINION: : Recent studies have focused on the anti-inflammatory effects of omega-3 PUFAs and specialized pro-resolving mediators. High-purity eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ethyl ester and EPA/docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) preparations have been developed primarily for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia. Various trials on the cardiovascular protective effects of omega-3 PUFAs have been reported, but the results have not been consistent. Some issues of the trials have been suggested, such as using low-dose omega-3 PUFAs and not including hypertriglyceridemia in subject selection criteria. REDUCE-IT study that used a high dose of high-purity EPA preparation showed a relative reduction in cardiovascular events, but, the STRENGTH study that used a high dose of EPA/DHA preparation did not support this benefit. This article reviews the research on the roles of omega-3 PUFAs in cardiovascular diseases, including progress in understanding the molecular mechanisms and recent large-scale clinical trials. PMID: 33306922 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Expert Rev Clin Pharmacol Source Type: research