In this study, doctors followed 3,277 healthy men and women free from heart disease at the start of the study. After 23 years of follow-up, while there were no benefits for men, women who consumed moderate amounts of alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3s) or linoleic acid (omega-6s), were less likely to have heart disease caused by restricted blood flow compared to women who got less of these two nutrients.
Doctors also measured total omega-3s and found, compared to women who consumed the least, women who consumed the most of these polyunsaturated fatty acids—plentiful in fish—were much more likely to remain heart-disease free.