Study finds seafood’s omega-3s may lower risk of chronic kidney problems

Omega-3s found in seafood have been shown to improve kidney health, according to a recent study published in the BMJ, a peer-reviewed medical trade journal published by the British Medical Association.

The study, “Association of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with incident chronic kidney disease: pooled analysis of 19 cohorts,” was performed by researchers from the University of New South Wales in Sydney. They analyzed data from 19 studies from 12 countries to assess what, if any, link exists between long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) and chronic kidney disease.. The 25,570 participants in the studies were between 49 and 77 years of age at the beginning of the study. Overall, 4,944, or 19.3 percent, developed incident chronic kidney disease in subsequent years, according to follow-up research conducted over 11 years. Participants in the studies who had higher levels of seafood-derived omega-3 in their diets had an 8 percent lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease, and those consuming the highest levels of omega-3s found only in seafood had a 13 percent lower risk of developing chronic kidney disease compared to those in the studies who had consumed the lowest levels of seafood-originated omega-3s.

The three individual omega-3s from seafood identified in the study as being beneficial were ... 

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