Heart Disease Risk Factors

Omega-3 Index Compared with other Coronary Heart Disease Risk Factors

The multivariable-adjusted relative risk for sudden cardiac death by quartile of the Omega-3 Index compared with other, more traditional circulating risk factors. The quartiles at presumed highest risk (black bars) are set at a relative risk of 1.0. Each subsequent lighter bar represents the risk at each decreasing (or, for HDL and omega-3 index, increasing) quartile. CRP, C-reactive protein; Hcy, homocysteine; TC, total cholesterol; Tg, triacylglycerols. Source: Phyician’s Health Study.

Sudden Cardiac Death is responsible for about half of all deaths associated with coronary heart disease (1).

The chart above summarizes relative risk of sudden cardiac death associated with traditional heart disease risk factors. For each factor, the bar on the left represents the quartile at highest risk, and is set at a relative risk of 1.0. The bar on the right represents the quartile with the lowest relative risk.

Those with the highest levels of Omega-3 Index have a 90% reduction in risk of sudden cardiac death compared relative to those with the lowest Omega-3 Index. This predictive value was far greater than that associated with C-reactive protein (a 65 percent reduction in risk with the lowest CRP) or total cholesterol levels (a 35 percent reduction in risk with the lowest cholesterol) (2).

In this study, after controlling for age and smoking status, only two risk factors demonstrated significant relations with risk for sudden cardiac death, the Omega-3 Index and CRP (3).

These studies also indicate the Omega-3 Index may be an independent risk factor and not influenced by other heart disease risk factors like cholesterol or blood pressure. The Omega-3 Index is a new tool in our toolbox that can be used to manage heart health risk. All risk factors, including the Omega-3 Index, should be addressed as an overall heart health risk reduction strategy.

(1) Zheng ZJ, Croft JB, Giles WH, Mensah GA. Sudden cardiac death in the United States, 1989 to 1998. Circulation 2001;104:2158–63.

(2) Albert CM, Ma J, Rifai N, Stampfer MJ, Ridker PM. Prospective study of C-reactive protein, homocysteine, and plasma lipid levels as predictors of sudden cardiac death. Circulation 2002;105:2595–9

(3) Albert CM, Campos H, Stampfer MJ, et al. Blood levels of long-chain n–3 fatty acids and the risk of sudden death. N Engl J Med 2002;346:1113–8.