Your doctor might have prescribed vegetable Omega-3 margarine instead of butter after your first heart attack to prevent any such cardiovascular events in the future.

But a recent study based on the history of heart attacks that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine has revealed that vegetable Omega-3 margarine does not provide any help to prevent a repeat attack. There were 4,800 men and women in this study aged between 60 and 80 who had experienced a heart attack within four years of the study.

The 4,800 subjects were divided into four groups:

• margarine with no vegetable Omega-3;
• margarine with a daily dose of 400 mg of EPA and DHA;
• margarine with a daily dose of 2 g of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid);
• and margarine with all three EPA, DHA and ALA.

Margarine is a butter substitute that is known to be low in saturated fat and cholesterol. Some are enriched with vegetable Omega-3 oils and thus given to heart patients or hypertension patients to cure the after effects of heart troubles. However, this 40-month long study has proven that vegetable Omega-3 fatty acids present in margarine are not associated with treating or preventing heart risks, and have never contributed in any way to ensure better heart health.

According to the research performed out of the Wageningen University in the Netherlands, it is reported that those heart attack survivors who were advised to take vegetable Omega-3 after their first stroke are at the same risk of a second attack and fare no better than people who do not add vegetable Omega-3 to their diet. The study was performed on men and women who were being treated with medicines ranging from cholesterol-lowering statins to blood pressure lowering drugs. Although, there was some evidence to suggest that those eating margarine with ALA had fewer repeat heart attacks, the results of the study categorically explained that margarine is in no way helpful for heart patients to lower their future risk.

Before the study on margarine, doctors used to recommend Omega-3 fish oil capsules or vegetable Omega-3 to patients for reducing the chances of accumulated triglycerides, which is a type of blood fat that is linked to clogged arteries. For treating the problem patients were also prescribed EPA-DHA, which are unsaturated fatty acids. EPA stands for eicosapentaenoic acid and DHA for docosahexaenoic acid. The rich sources of EPA-DHA are fishes like salmon, sardine and herring. These are very important fatty acids that are generally present in cold water fish. DHA helps the brain and retina tissues to grow properly and assures efficient functioning of eyes.

Though vegetable Omega-3 margarines have failed in providing aid to older men and women, cold water fish oil-based Omega-3 is backed by strong evidence that is good for heart health. More evidence is needed to determine the overall effect of vegetable Omega-3.

Tags: heart health, Omega-3

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