Fish oil-derived fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid and docosapentaenoic acid, and the risk of acute coronary events - The kuopio ischaemic heart disease risk factor study

Background-Previous findings concerning the serum levels of fish-derived (n -3) fatty acids and coronary heart disease are inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the serum n-3 end-pr oduct fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and eicosapentaenoic acid and the risk of acute coronary events in middle-a ged men. Methods and Results-We studied this association in the Kuopio Ischaemic Hea rt Disease Risk Factor Study, a prospective population study in Eastern Fin land. Subjects were randomly selected and included 1871 men aged 42 to 60 y ears who had no clinical coronary heart disease at baseline examination. A total of 194 men had a fatal or nonfatal acute coronary event during follow -up. In a Cox proportional hazards' model adjusting for other risk factors, men in the highest fifth of the proportion of serum DHA-I-DPA in all fatty acids had a 44% reduced risk (P=0.014) of acute coronary events compared w ith men in the lowest fifth. Men in the highest fifth of DHA+DPA who had a low hair content of mercury (less than or equal to2.0 mug/g) had a 67% redu ced risk (P=0.016) of acute coronary events compared with men in the lowest fifth who had a high hair content of mercury (>2.0 mug/g). There was no as sociation between proportion of eicosapentaenoic acid and the risk of acute coronary events. Conclusions-Our data provide further confirmation for the concept that fish oil-derived fatty acids reduce the risk of acute coronary events. However, a high mercury content in fish could attenuate this protective effect.