Figure 2.

Marine n-3 fatty acids and mechanisms related to cardiovascular risk. Mechanistic studies in humans have demonstrated that the marine n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and/or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) reduce serum triglycerides, shift low-density lipoprotein subfractions and reduce ApoB (b), favourably change body composition (b, c), have direct effects on cardiac electrophysiology and autonomic function, and mitigate adverse remodelling of the left ventricle after myocardial infarction (e), improve endothelial function and lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure (f), and increase plaque stability (g) – in part due to their inflammatory resolving properties (a). Furthermore, EPA/DHA improve cognitive function across different age groups, including in the elderly and in children (d).

FA: fatty acids; TAG: triglycerides; Apo: apolipoprotein; LDL: low-density lipoprotein; CRP: C-reactive protein; IL-6: interleukin 6; TNF-α: tumour necrosis factor α; Lp-PLA2: lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2.