Harvard Health Publishing
November 2013
Learn what these essential fatty acids can do for your cardiovascular health, and where to find the best sources.
Back in the 1970s, Danish researchers discovered something curious about the Inuits of Greenland. Despite eating a high-fat diet (about 40% of their daily calories came from fat), the Inuits had far lower rates of heart disease and heart attacks than people in Western nations. When the researchers delved deeper, they discovered one reason for the Inuits' low rates of heart disease: a seafood-heavy diet rich in the polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids—eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Since then, investigators have homed in on omega-3s—not just for their cardiovascular benefits, but also for their potential effects on thinking ability, vision, and inflammation.
