The meta-analysis revealed that by increasing intakes of EPA and DHA over 250 mg, the risk of sudden cardiac death in a healthy population was reduced a further 35% and the risk of non-fatal coronary events a further 16%.
The Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3 (GOED), Salt Lake City, UT, and a group of GOED members sponsored the study, which resulted from the group’s work to establish a heart health claim in the European Union (EU).
A paper by Mozzafarian & Rimm had previously found a significant risk reduction with intakes of EPA and DHA up to 250 mg per day. The EU and a number of health authorities around the world have begun setting intake recommendations at this level because it was viewed as a threshold for cardioprotection above which there was believed to be little benefit for healthy individuals. However, the BJN meta-analysis demonstrates there is indeed extra risk reduction by increasing intakes of EPA and DHA above 250 mg per day and that these recommendations should be viewed as a bare minimum, according to GOED.
GOED hopes the implications of this paper will be far-reaching as more health claims and intake recommendations are established around the world. In fact, the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee had recommended fish consumption in 2005 based on 500 mg of EPA and DHA per day, but in the 2010 report lowered the target to 250 mg per day on the basis of the EU recommendation and Mozzafarian & Rimm paper.