Researchers Fishing for Multiple Health Benefits in Marine Omega-3s

03/04/07 Long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (long-chain or marine omega-3s) are essential to infant and adult brain development and may help protect against certain types of cancer and heart disease, according to new research reported in the March 2007 Fats of Life e- newsletter for consumers and PUFA Newsletter for health professionals. Long- chain omega-3s are found almost exclusively in seafood, namely fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and tuna. 

"Recent evidence about the effects of these marine omega-3s in different conditions -- young children, young adults with certain risky behaviors and older people with heart disease -- points to suboptimal health outcomes at different stages of life when these fatty acids are insufficient," said Joyce Nettleton, DSc, RD, editor of Fats of Life and the PUFA Newsletter.

Results from four studies suggest that seafood consumption or intake of marine omega-3s during pregnancy is beneficially associated with several neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. Associations with higher marine omega-3 intake included enhanced eye and hand coordination in toddlers and better social development, improved visual acuity, higher verbal IQ and lower likelihood of internalized problem behavior in young children.
 
"These findings strengthen earlier cautions that suboptimal exposure to marine omega-3s during fetal and infant life could have long-term consequences," Nettleton said.

Long-chain omega-3s apparently improve the reflex control of heart rate, according to another recent study. This finding extends the protective effects of these fatty acids in heart health.

The current e-newsletters also discuss two studies in patients with prostate cancer, providing more evidence of the involvement of polyunsaturated fatty acids in this disease. In one study, fish consumption was associated with significantly lower risk of the disease, and in another, higher total polyunsaturated fatty acids were linked with lower risk of disease recurrence. In a third study, high consumption of fatty fish was linked to a 40% to 50% lower chance of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

"These findings illustrate the need for intervention studies to determine whether long-chain omega-3s have direct effects on variouscancers," Nettleton noted.