The heart, our hardest working organ, is a pump made of muscle. It is the most efficient muscle in the body. Generating its own electrical impulses, the heart beats continuously without rest for as long as we live. Congestive heart failure is a health condition in which the pumping ability of the heart becomes weak. The heart just doesn't have the oomph it used to. It no longer beats with enough force to properly circulate blood throughout the body. When the heart loses pumping strength, excess sodium and water may accumulate in the tissues, causing "congestion" of fluid that puts an even greater burden on the circulatory system. People sometimes have signs of congestive heart failure without any symptoms of congestion, however, so doctors now prefer the term "heart failure." Heart failure can be caused by a variety of cardiac disorders, so it is actually a clinical syndrome rather than a specific disease.

Omega-3 refers to a group or "family" of unsaturated fatty acids. The first fatty acid in this group is named alpha linolenic acid or just linolenic acid, and sometimes it is just called omega-3. Linolenic acid cannot be made in the body and therefore, it is classified as an essential fatty acid and must be obtained from either the diet or in supplement form. The other two fatty acids in the omega-3 family are named eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The body can manufacture EPA and DHA by conversions from linolenic acid.Thousands of scientific studies have evaluated the multiple ways that omega-3 fatty acids promotes not only cardiovascular health, but also the healthy functioning of many other biological activities. Many Americans don't get enough of it in their diets. One reason is that omega-3 oils are very susceptible to spoilage and so many food manufacturers remove it to keep products fresh. Another reason is that omega-3 oils mostly come from cold water fish and wild game— something most Americans don't eat in great quantities. Flaxseed oil is another good source of omega-3. Other sources include chia, rapeseed, soybeans, alfalfa, and walnuts.

Previous studies have found that omega-3 fish oil could reduce the incidence of heart failure in adults. A current study sought to determine whether those results could be duplicated. Researchers recruited a total of 5,299 subjects in 1990 with an average age of 67.5 years who were free of heart failure. They followed-up with the subjects for an average of 11.4 years in which a total of 669 people had developed heart failure. The researchers found that the highest average intake of EPA plus DHA (over 183 mg per day) was associated with an 11 percent reduction in the risk of heart failure, compared to the lowest average intake (less than 34 mg per day), but this was not considered to be statistically significant. In women, the highest intakes were associated with a significant 25 percent risk reduction. The strongest effects were seen in people with diabetes, with the highest versus lowest intakes of omega-3 associated with a 42 percent reduction in the risk of developing heart failure. The researchers concluded that EPA plus DHA had a protective effect against heart failure in specific groups such as diabetics and women.

Dijkstra SC, Brouwer IA, van Rooij FJ, et al. Intake of very long chain n-3 fatty acids from fish and the incidence of heart failure: the Rotterdam Study. Eur J Heart Fail. Oct2009;11(10):922-8.