| Whether dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are causally related to cardiovascular disease is a major, unresolved question in preventive cardiology. Essential omega-3 fatty acids are eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; C20:5,n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; C22:6,n-3), and their parent compound alpha-linolenic acid (ALA; C18:3,n-3). Evidence is accumulating that EPA-DHA reduce the risk of cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. The Alpha Omega Trial is a multicenter placebo-controlled, double-blind intervention study in postmyocardial infarction patients to examine the effect of low doses of omega-3 fatty acids on coronary heart disease mortality. The trial includes 4000 men and women aged 60-80 years who had a clinical diagnosis of myocardial infarction in the past 10 years. The trial has a 2 x 2 factorial design with random assignment of equal numbers of patients to one of four interventions: 1) 400 mg/day of EPA-DHA, 2) 2 g/day of ALA, 3) both EPA-DHA and ALA, or 4) placebo. Omega-3 fatty acids are supplied via enriched margarine for a period of 3 years. |
