A new study published by the peer-reviewed journal Stroke found that people with the highest concentrations of omega-3s in their blood, as measured through the Omega-3 Index, had a 17% reduced risk of stroke.
 
Stroke costs the U.S. healthcare system hundreds of billions of dollars in treatment, caregiving, and rehabilitation. Costs are projected to hit the trillions by 2050, according to a paper published in the Lancet last October. It is the second-leading cause of death, and the third-leading cause of death and disability combined, according to a 2021 worldwide analysis, with one in four adults estimated to suffer a stroke in their lifetime.
 
In the present study, researchers analyzed more than 183,000 subjects across 29 prospective studies, whose average age was 65. Each study quantified risk of stroke from any cause, as well as stroke due to a blood clot, and all participants had their omega-3 levels measured.
 
Across a median 14.3 year follow-up, there were 8,220 ischemic and 1,142 hemorrhagic strokes reported.
 
Those in the highest quintile of the full population of subjects for EPA had a 17% lower risk for total stroke compared with those in the lowest 20% of omega-3 levels, with a similar degree of risk reduction seen in ischemic strokes. Meanwhile, for DHA, the highest quintile saw a 12% reduction in total stroke and a 14% reduction in ischemic stroke.
 
There was no association between omega-3 levels and risk for hemorrhagic stroke.
 
The first finding is significant, in that it highlights the potential role of dietary omega-3s in the reduction of stroke risk, while the latter conclusion is contrary to concerns that omega-3s might affect clotting in a way that could increase the risk for brain bleeds. This wasn’t the case in the study population.
 
“This paper confirms previous studies that found favorable relationships between omega-3 and stroke risk by including a very large number of subjects from a wide range of countries. It also gives comfort by showing that by raising your omega-3 levels into the healthy zone [about 8% on the Omega-3 Index] you do not increase your risk for clinically significant bleeding,” said William S. Harris, PhD, founder of OmegaQuant Analytics, LLC, professor at the department of internal medicine at University of South Dakota, and co-author of the review.
 
“These findings are extremely exciting because stroke is such a devastating event, drastically changing the trajectory of peoples’ lives, so finding ways to reduce risk for stroke that require no medicines is important and useful information,” he continued. “Raising omega-3 levels into the healthy zone can be accomplished simply by eating more omega-3 rich fish and/or by taking omega-3 supplements.”