By Dr. Mercola

Omega-3 fats — specifically EPA and DHA — are essential to your overall health, including your heart health.

A recent analysis of 19 studies confirms that regular consumption of fish and other omega-3 rich foods, including certain plant-based sources, may lower your risk of a fatal heart attack (myocardial infarction) by about 10 percent.1,2,3

This effect held true even after accounting for confounding factors like age, sex, ethnicity, diabetes and use of aspirin or cholesterol-lowering drugs.

According to senior study author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, "Our results lend support to the importance of fish and omega-3 consumption as part of a healthy diet." Other studies have found even more significant effects.

One large Italian trial found that heart attack survivors who took 1 gram of omega-3 fat each day for three years had a 50 percent reduced chance of sudden cardiac death.4

Health Benefits of Omega-3 Fat

Omega-3 fats benefit your cardiovascular health in several ways. In addition to lowering your blood pressure and triglyceride concentrations and improving endothelial function (a major factor in promoting the growth of new blood vessels), research has demonstrated omega-3s are:

Antiarrhythmic: counteracting or preventing cardiac arrhythmia
Antithrombotic: tending to prevent thrombosis (a blood clot within a blood vessel)
Antiatherosclerotic: preventing fatty deposits and fibrosis of the inner layer of your arteries from forming
Anti-inflammatory: counteracting inflammation (heat, pain, swelling, etc.)