Research

Hormonal

Higher dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is inversely associated with the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) in women, independent of long-chain n-3 fatty acid intake.

If you are a woman, increasing your intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) from plant sources like flaxseed, soybean, or canola oil may help lower your risk of sudden cardiac death. This benefit appears specific to sudden death and does not necessarily extend to preventing heart attacks or other heart disease deaths. Aim to include these plant oils in your diet regularly.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
These prospective data suggest that increasing dietary intake of (cid:1)-linolenic acid may reduce the risk of SCD but not other types of fatal CHD or nonfatal MI in women.
Christine M. Albert et al. · Circulation · 2005

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (Nurses' Health Study) with long follow-up and multivariate adjustment, but observational design limits causal inference.

Source

Dietary α-Linolenic Acid Intake and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death and Coronary Heart Disease

Christine M. Albert et al. · Circulation · 2005

DOI 10.1161/circulationaha.105.572008

cohort · n=76763Cited 228×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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