Do omega-3 fatty acids protect from cardiovascular disease mortality?
Omega-3 Index Test, studied in 3259 participants (Atherosclerosis 2016, PMID 27397734) — during a median follow-up of 9.9 years, 975 patients (29.9%) died, with 614 patients (18.8%) dying from cardiovascular causes. Scope: 3259 participants, and the abstract states no limitations.
Source: Atherosclerosis 2016, PMID 27397734 ↗ · Research map · How Magellan grades evidence · evidence confidence: medium
Atherosclerosis · 2016 · PMID 27397734 · DOI 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2016.06.049
Higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA in red blood cells are linked to lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in patients undergoing coronary angiography.
The question
Do omega-3 fatty acids protect from cardiovascular disease mortality?
What they tested
The study hypothesized that erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acids would be associated with mortality in patients referred for coronary angiography.
How they did it
Erythrocyte omega-3 fatty acid proportions were measured at baseline in 3259 participants of the Ludwigshafen Risk and Cardiovascular Health Study (LURIC) using the HS-Omega-3 Index method. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to investigate associations of omega-3 fatty acid proportions with mortality.
What they found
During a median follow-up of 9.9 years, 975 patients (29.9%) died, with 614 patients (18.8%) dying from cardiovascular causes. Proportions of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were inversely associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, even after adjusting for conventional cardiovascular risk factors. The strongest association was for EPA, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 0.89 (0.83-0.96) per increase of one standard deviation. Evidence for a non-linear relationship between EPA and mortality was also observed.
| All-cause mortality | 29.9 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cardiovascular mortality | 18.8 |
During a median follow-up of 9.9 years, 29.9% of patients died from all causes, and 18.8% died from cardiovascular causes.
What it means
EPA and DHA were associated with reduced mortality in the LURIC study, independent of other risk factors. The association between EPA and mortality appeared to be non-linear.
Limitations
The abstract does not explicitly state any limitations of the study.
Where the published abstract does not list limitations, we say so rather than inventing them. Read the full paper on PubMed before drawing conclusions.
The paper at a glance
| Title | Omega-3 fatty acids and mortality in patients referred for coronary angiography |
|---|---|
| Journal | Atherosclerosis |
| Year | 2016 |
| PMID | 27397734 ↗ |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2016.06.049 ↗ |
| Topic | Cardiovascular & vascular aging |
Read the source: PubMed record (authors, abstract, full citation) ↗ · Publisher via doi.org ↗
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Omega-3 Index Test
In prospective cohort studies and pooled analyses spanning dozens of cohorts, higher blood levels of EPA + DHA have been consistently associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality - across ten cohorts an Omega-3 Index near 8% carried roughly 30% lower fatal coronary heart disease risk than one near 4%…
The Omega-3 Index is a blood biomarker defined as the amount of the long-chain marine omega-3 fatty…
Research describes the compound or intervention studied. It is not a claim about any specific product.
Molecules & mechanisms in this paper
Each of these is named in the paper’s own words above. Open the monograph for the full mechanism and its other citations.
Cite this page
These citations point at this summary. To cite the original paper with its full author list, use the PubMed record or doi.org.
Magellan Longevity. (2026). Do omega-3 fatty acids protect from cardiovascular disease mortality? [Plain-English summary of Atherosclerosis 2016, PMID 27397734, DOI 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2016.06.049]. Magellan Longevity. https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d27397734.html@misc{magellan_d27397734,
title = {Do omega-3 fatty acids protect from cardiovascular disease mortality?},
author = {{Magellan Longevity}},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://magellanlongevity.com/study/d27397734.html}},
note = {Plain-English summary of PubMed PMID 27397734; DOI 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2016.06.049; Atherosclerosis 2016. Reviewed by Gabriel Radu, DO},
urldate = {2026-08-11}
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