Cardiovascular disease – the world’s leading killer – is behind 659,000 in the United States alone.

The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, says that eating ALA-rich foods may help reduce your chance of dying young by any cause.

A team of researchers conducted an analysis of dozens of papers that studied diets and mortality rates during a three-decade period.

They specifically studied the relationship of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an omega-3 fatty acid present in soy beans and flaxseeds.

The findings found that individuals who had a high dose of the nutrient — around 1.6g per day — were 10% less likely to die from any cause than those who consumed the lowest — around 0.7g.

Heart disease deaths were also reduced in persons who ate a diet high in almonds and other ALA-rich foods.

The study stated that for every 1g increase in ALA per day – around one tablespoon of canola oil – the chance of dying from cardiovascular disease decreased by 5%.

However, the research found that taking large levels of ALA was associated with an increased risk of cancer death.

Earlier research revealed a relationship between ALA and a decreased risk of deadly coronary heart disease – a kind of cardiovascular illness.

However, a large number of additional studies were inconclusive regarding whether the vitamin improved mortality.

To dispel this confusion, a team from Tehran University of Medical Sciences evaluated 41 papers published between 1991 and 2021.

The 41 papers included 1.2 million adults – largely from western countries – and followed them over a period of two to 32 years.

There were 198,113 deaths, 62,773 of which were caused by cardiovascular disease and 65,954 by cancer.

The current review of studies found that adults who consumed a high amount of ALA-rich meals had a 10% lower risk of dying from any cause – corresponding to 113 fewer deaths per 10,000 person-years.

Additionally, it decreased the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease by 8% – equating to approximately 33 fewer deaths per 10,000 person-years.

Additionally, Sina Naghshi and colleagues discovered that the more ALA a person consumed, the lower their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was. 

There were 63 more cancer deaths per 10,000 person-years among individuals who consumed the most omega-3 fatty acids, compared to those who consumed the least.

As the research was observational, it is impossible to establish that ALA consumption directly contributed to cancer risk reduction or improvement.

However, the researchers feel their findings are ‘solid’ and that they add to the ‘evidence of polyunsaturated fatty acids’ potential health advantages.

According to experts, ALA benefits heart health by lowering cholesterol and elevating blood pressure.

They stated that additional research should be conducted to identify the relationship between ALA and other causes of mortality in order to discover if it can be associated with a decreased risk of dying from any other cause.

Additionally, experts should investigate certain ALA-rich foods to see whether the amount of omega-3 taken has an effect on death rates.

They cautioned that any suggestions to increase ALA consumption should be undertaken ‘cautiously’ in light of their discovery of a possible relationship to cancer.

ALA-rich foods include nuts, seeds and plant oils.

Source: British Medical Journal

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