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Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA) Found to Reduce Risk of Heart AttackVitamin D and beta-carotene have been shown to help maintain heart health. A recent study has found that alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) may be a viable alternative to fish oils in reducing the risk of heart attack. ALA is an omega-3 fatty acid found in vegetable cooking oils such as soybean and canola oils, and other products of plant origin.
In the study, over 1800 patients living in Costa Rica completed a 135-item food questionnaire, providing information on their fatty acid intake from Costa Rican food staples, including rice, beans, bread, plantains, and eggs. They also completed a questionnaire on their physical activity and provided tissue samples that were measured for have fatty acid levels.
The researchers found that compared to those with the lowest intake of ALA (1 gram per day), those with the highest intake of ALA (2.7 grams per day) had a 39% reduced risk of a heart attack. Because ALA has been suggested to be a replacement for fish oil, the researchers looked at whether ALA in those with low fish intake still had reduced risks of a heart attack. They found that those in the highest one-third of ALA intake had a 50% lower heart attack risk among those with the lowest fish intake (3.3 grams of fish per day), a 52% lower risk among those in the middle one-third of fish intake (13.4 grams of fish per day), and a 55% lower risk among those with the highest fish intake (32.4 grams per day).
These results are confirmed by previous research showing the protective effect of a Mediterranean diet rich in ALA against the risk of heart attack. They also suggest the anti-inflammatory properties of ALA as a reason for this protective effect though this has been doubted in other research. For the researchers, “it is possible that consumption of vegetable oils rich in alpha-linolenic acid could confer important cardiovascular protection in many countries where intake is low.”
