Omega-3 fatty acids best for maintaining health - July 2003

“Off all the things you can eat, there is probably no dietary component that has greater impact on (preventing) death than the omega-3 fatty acids,” say William Harris Ph.D., an omega-3 researcher from the Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City and coauthor of the American Heart Association’s (AHA) guidelines on omega-3s.

The AHA recommends two 3-ounce servings of cooked fish a week.

Fatty fish is best – fresh, frozen, or canned, says Penny Kris-Etherton, Ph.D., a professor of nutrition of Pennsylvania State University and the lead author of the AHA’s omega-3 dietary recommendations. Salmon, albacore tuna, lake trout, mackerel, herring, and sardines contain lots of omega-3s.