[Fish and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in relation to risk of cardiovascular disease]

A reason for low rate of heart disease in Japan has been considered due to high consumption of fish/w-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids among Japanese. Yet, there are growing concerns that Japanese has not consumed much fish compared with 10 years ago, based on the national statistics. Meanwhile, the incidence of myocardial infarction has been increasing among middle-aged men in some urban communities. In this review, we summarized several epidemiological studies which focused on fish/w-3 fatty acids and risk of cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease, sudden cardiac death and heart failure.