A systematic review of omega-3 enriched foods and health

Purpose – To review evidence from high quality randomised controlled trials reporting links between omega-3 enriched functional foods and health. Design/methodology/approach – Using Medline, a search was made for all randomised controlled trials published between 2002 and 2012 that met defined inclusion criteria. Studies had minimum durations of 28-days, clearly stated the food vehicle, dose and type of long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC3PUFA) used and did not include studies where participants only took LC3PUFA supplements. Findings - A total of eleven studies were located, ten of which reported potential health benefits linked to omega-3 functional food consumption. Five studies reported significant improvements in markers of cardiovascular (CV) health while ten bioavailability studies reported increases in omega-3 blood levels when doses of 460mg or more were integrated into food vehicles. Research limitations/implication – In the future a meta-analysis would be useful in terms of determining the dose of LC3PUFA associated with overall health benefits. Practical implications - The present review concludes that omega-3 enriched functional foods are a useful way to improve LC3PUFA status and have been linked to improved health outcomes, namely markers of CV health. More work is now needed to determine whether particular population groups could benefit from consumption of these foods e.g. vegetarians and children in relation to a range of health outcomes, such as cognitive function. Originality/value – This review provides evidence that integrating omega-3 enriched functional foods within the daily diet could be an effective strategy for helping to improve LC3PUFA status and attenuating CV disease risk