Erythrocyte long-chain omega-3 fatty acid levels are inversely associated with mortality and with incident cardiovascular disease: The Framingham Heart Study

Harris et al · J Clin Lipidol · 2018

Key finding

Highest vs lowest Omega-3 Index quintile associated with 34% lower risk of death from any cause in the Framingham Offspring Cohort (n=2500, median 7.3-year follow-up)

Evidence & causal status

Moderate

Associational; biologically plausible anti-inflammatory/anti-arrhythmic mechanism, but single cohort, not RCT-confirmed for mortality

Caveats & limitations

Reliability / bias notes: Relatively short follow-up and single baseline measurement; modest sample size and event count (350 deaths)

This describes a population-level association from published research. It is not a prediction about any one individual, and association is not the same as causation unless stated otherwise above.