They taste like butter and offer a boost of heart healthy omega-3 fatty acids, but these omega-enhanced margarines may not actually help your heart, according to new research from the Netherlands.
In a study of almost 5,000 patients who had previously had a heart attack, eating a daily serving of omega-3 charged margarine had no effect on the likelihood of a second heart attack.
Margarines containing different types of omega-3 fatty acids were tested, one with EPA-DHA, one with ALA and another with both, were tested against a placebo, omega-free margarine.
Patients ranged from age 60 to 80 and were already on medicine to control their blood pressure and cholesterol. After more than three years on this margarine meal-plan, researchers saw no association between eating omega-supplemented margarine and a reduced risk of second cardiovascular event such as heart attack or stroke.
Previous research shows that giving an EPA-DHA supplement to patients with cardiovascular disease reduces their chance of dying from the disease by as much as 20 percent, authors note in the study, but supplementing with margarine didn't seem to cut it.
This doesn't mean that those at cardiovascular risk should give up on getting extra Omega-3 fatty acids or pass on margarine, experts say. It's just about getting the right amount of good fats from the right places.
Omega Enhancement -- Myths Busted
Peanut butter, margarine, cheese, baby food, even eggs -- you name it and manufacturers are pumping omega-3 supplements into it. But is eating these omega enhanced items actually healthy for your heart?
This study would suggest no, but experts say that it's not where you get your EPA-DHA omega 3's, it's how much you get and how it fits into your diet.
One of the reasons that the Netherlands study may not have seen a benefit was that the dose of omega-3 fatty acid was too low. Researchers were shooting for a daily intake of 400 mg of EPA-DHA and 2 g of ALA, but past research suggests that a therapeutic dose is closer to 850 mg of combined EPA-DHA per day.
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