Research Summary Archives

The magnitude with which we respond to specific nutrients present in our food is not the same for everyone. Individuals carry significant genetic variability, and also vary in the way genetic information is expressed. Hence our responses to the external world can vary significantly. This variation i...

Obesity is frequently accompanied by dyslipidemia, consisting of changes in triglyceride (TG) and cholesterol levels in blood outside the ranges considered normal. Many obese subjects have significantly elevated concentrations of cholesterol incorporated in the lipoprotein particle LDL (low-density ...

Invited Opinion Aldo Bernasconi, Ph.D. Director of Information and Research Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s   There is a long history of clinical research showing that long-chain omega-3 fatty acids – the kind of fatty acids found at relatively high levels in fish oils - have ...

Recent clinical trials have reported no additional benefit on the risk of cardiovascular mortality or morbidity from the consumption of long-chain omega-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs), mainly EPA and DHA, which are found in fish and fish oil, krill or algal supplements. These studies have mainly been conduc...

Atrial fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia that results from disorganized electrical signals in the upper chambers of the heart (atria). Instead of beating rhythmically, the atria quiver, allowing blood to pool. As a result, insufficient blood reaches the lower chambers, which pump the blood throug...

Ironically, the studies described in this article closely follow a recent, highly publicized study, which reported that supplementation with less than 1 g/day of long-chain omega-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs) did not reduce cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in statin-treated high-risk heart patients. ...

Milled Flaxseed for 6 Months Linked to Lower Blood Pressure in Peripheral Artery Disease Patients Like many diseases of stealth, hypertension can afflict a person without any telltale outward symptoms. It works its harm by taxing an overworked cardiovascular system, forcing the heart to work h...

Another controversial intervention trial, the Risk and Prevention Study, has concluded that long-chain n-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs) do not prevent cardiovascular death or disease in patients at high cardiovascular risk, a statement that created a media frenzy. The study’s findings led Dr. Eric Topol of ...

As discussed in the previous article on the Risk and Prevention study, evidence for the effectiveness of long-chain n-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs) in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality in primary and secondary prevention trials is inconsistent. Long considered to reduce the risk of ...

Changes in blood lipids in response to the consumption of long-chain n-3 PUFAs (n-3 LC-PUFAs) have been well studied in healthy and high-risk cardiovascular patients. Responses include significant reductions in triglycerides, especially in those with elevated levels, and increased high-density lipop...

Less well known than adult strokes are those occurring in infants. They may affect up to 1,700 infants in the U.S. each year. Pediatric strokes are often related to changes in hemostasis in the mother or the placenta, particularly around the time of birth. An infant experiencing a stroke faces an in...

A tenet of the received wisdom about dietary practices to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and the chance of dying from it is the substitution of foods rich in saturated and trans fatty acids with those rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and PUFAs. A pooled analysis of 11 cohort studies co...