The effects of n-3 fatty acids on atherosclerosis and the vascular response to injury.

The potentially beneficial effects of dietary fatty acids on vascular disease continues to generate intense clinical and investigative interest throughout the world. In particular, attention has focused on the highly unsaturated n-3 fatty acids found in marine and certain plant oils in the prevention of atherosclerosis and thrombosis. This article will review the impact of these fatty acids on vascular disease in epidemiologic studies, in animal models of atherosclerosis and vascular injury, and in human clinical trials of restenosis following angioplasty. Some of the more specific cellular effects of n-3 fatty acids will also be discussed. The data accumulated in the last 15 years suggest that additional prospective clinical trials of n-3 fatty acids in the prevention or treatment of vascular disease are warranted in humans.