Background: Oily fish are the main source of marine omega-3 fatty acids, which have beneficial cardiovascular effects. The article gives an overview of studies of the effects of fish and omega-3 fatty acids on the risk of heart failure and on mortality in heart failure patients.
Material and method: The article is based on selected literature from personal archives, references collected from relevant articles in personal archives and on publications found through PubMed searches.
Results: Recent observational studies have indicated that a high intake of fish and marine omega-3-fatty acids as well as increased plasma concentrations of the same fatty acids can reduce both the incidence of heart failure and mortality among elderly people with heart failure, with or without a previous myocardial infarction. A clinical, placebo-controlled study of around 7,000 elderly heart failure patients found a 9% reduction in mortality after treatment with omega-3 fatty acids. The omega-3 fatty acids were additional to other heart failure treatment. The beneficial effects of oily fish and omega-3 fatty acids appear to be associated with a number of haemodynamic and biological mechanisms.
Interpretation: A high intake of fish and marine omega-3 fatty acids seems to provide protection against the development of heart failure as well as reducing the mortality of manifest heart failure.