According to a recent study published in The BMJ, supplementing with fish oil on a regular basis may help reduce your risk of events related to cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack and stroke, and therefore, reduce your risk of death.
![fishoil]()
To conduct the study, researchers collected data from the UK biobank, including 427,678 men and women between the ages of 40 and 69 years old who had completed a questionnaire on supplement use. None of the participants had cardiovascular disease or cancer. The researchers monitored deaths from all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, and cardiovascular disease events such as heart attack and stroke, then compared the data to the supplement use questionnaires.
The questionnaires showed that 31% of the participants had reported taking fish oil supplements on a regular basis, and the researchers were able to link the use of fish oil supplements with a 13% lower risk of all-cause mortality, a 6% lower risk of cardiovascular disease events, and a 16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality. The link between fish oil supplements and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease was especially strong among the participants who had high blood pressure.
The researchers concluded that several factors may be at play to help explain the link. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to be beneficial for cholesterol levels, blood pressure and heart rate — all of which could play a role in lowering the risk of cardiovascular disease events.
Most Americans are seriously deficient in animal-based omega-3 fats. If you're among them, this means you are missing out on many health advantages that these fats offer. Maintaining a high dietary omega-3 intake throughout your life is essential for optimal health, and the research continues to pour in that krill oil, in particular, is the preferable source. In addition to heart-health benefits, krill oil may benefit more than 20 health conditions, including brain function, arthritis, depression, and more. To learn more, check out this article.