Polyunsaturated fatty acids, thrombosis and vascular disease.

In the 80's, retrospective studies showed an inverse relation between fish consumption and ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality. In parallel, fish fats containing the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) eicosapentaenoic (EPA) were shown to impair platelet aggregation and thromboxane formation. The results of the large prospective trials, the Diet and Reinfarction Trial (DART) and the Lyon Heart Study in the secondary prevention of myocardial infarction, have further supported the interrelationships between diet and dietary prevention of IHD.