Key Benefits of Omega-3
A Matter of Life and Death
Heart Health continued
The accumulation of findings suggest that the Omega-3s work in several ways to reduce heart attack risk:
- Anti-thrombotic. Help reduce platelet aggregation (the clumping together of red corpuscles that can form a potentially fatal blood clot in coronary arteries); and help keep blood vessels dilated (vasodilation).
- Triglyceride reduction. High triglyceride (blood fat) levels are a heart attack risk factor.
- Arrhythmia prevention. Help protect against heartbeat abnormalities (like ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation) that appear to be the lethal part of a heart attack.
- Inhibition of inflammation. Plaque is the term for the deposits on the inside of artery walls, which can rupture and trigger off a blood clot. The anti-inflammatory properties of Omega-3s have been shown to stabilise arterial plaques so they are less likely to rupture and lead to a heart attack.
