Research

Mixed

Docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) is uniquely associated with a lower risk of total coronary heart disease (CHD), whereas EPA and DHA were not significantly associated with total CHD in this pooled analysis.

While EPA and DHA are well-known, this study highlights that DPA (docosapentaenoic acid) may have a unique benefit in preventing total heart disease events. Since DPA is often found in seafood and is a precursor to DHA, consuming a varied diet rich in seafood may provide a broader spectrum of omega-3 benefits than focusing solely on EPA/DHA supplements.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Although DPA was associated with a lower risk of total CHD (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.90-0.99), ALA (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.95-1.05), EPA (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.87-1.02), and DHA (RR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.91-1.00) were not.
Liana C. Del Gobbo et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · 2016

Why this rating

Based on a large pooled analysis with objective biomarkers, providing high confidence in the distinction between DPA and other omega-3s regarding total CHD.

Source

ω-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Biomarkers and Coronary Heart Disease

Liana C. Del Gobbo et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · 2016

DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.2925

Meta-analysis · 19 studiesCited 401×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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