Dietary supplementation with n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and human platelet function: a review with particular emphasis on implications for cardiovascular disease

Abstract. The low incidence of myocardial infarction in Greenland Eskimos may be due to their intake of marine food with a high content of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). In Eskimos the platelet count is lowered, the platelet aggregation is inhibited, the bleeding time is prolonged and the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Internal Medicine
Main Authors: KRISTENSEN, S. D., SCHMIDT, E. B., DYERBERG, J.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1989
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Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2796.1989.tb01448.x
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1365-2796.1989.tb01448.x
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2796.1989.tb01448.x
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Summary:Abstract. The low incidence of myocardial infarction in Greenland Eskimos may be due to their intake of marine food with a high content of n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). In Eskimos the platelet count is lowered, the platelet aggregation is inhibited, the bleeding time is prolonged and the ratio between proaggregatory thromboxanes and antiaggregatory prostacyclins is decreased, when compared to age‐ and sex‐matched Danes. In this review, studies evaluating the effect of a fish diet or fish‐oil supplementation on human platelet function are summarized. Most studies have demonstrated that supplementation with n‐3 PUFAs can cause inhibition of platelet behaviour. The optimal dose of n‐3 PUFAs and the patient groups most likely to profit from supplementation need to be defined. The safety and the clinical effect of the supplementation should be investigated in long‐term studies.