Alpha-Linolenic Acid and heart

What 2 graded rows on alpha-linolenic acid agree on for heart, and where they differ. Counted side by side, never averaged.

Consensus finder Rows from the Alpha-Linolenic Acid page, reviewed Oct 21, 2026 How it decides

What the rows agree on

Each block and row is one graded row from the Alpha-Linolenic Acid page, with its PubMed record.

Supplement

Alpha-Linolenic Acid Choose another

2 rows · 24,164 people

Split. 1 row found no difference and 1 had mixed results.

No difference or mixed

Improved

Each block is one evidence row, sized by how many people it enrolled, with its grade inside. Outlined: mixed results.

From the rows

The best-graded row, grade C, is a meta-analysis of 19,327 people (2020) and reported mixed results.

The rows run from 4,837 to 19,327 people, published from 2010 to 2020: 1 pooled review and 1 single study.

1 no difference · 1 mixed

Grade CMajor cardiovascular events after a heart attack · No difference
RCT · n 4,837 · 2010 · Adults aged 60–80 (78% men) with a previous heart attack on modern drug therapy
About 1.9 g/day of added ALA (target 2 g/day) · 40 months
ALA did not significantly reduce major cardiovascular events (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.78–1.05); in women the reduction approached significance (HR 0.73, P=0.07). Adverse events did not differ.
Row on the Alpha-Linolenic Acid page · PubMed 20929341 (opens PubMed)
Grade CDeath, heart disease and cardiovascular events · Mixed
Meta-analysis · n 19,327 · 2020 · Adults at varying cardiovascular risk (5 ALA trials lasting at least 12 months)
Varied across trials · 12 months or longer
Probably little or no effect on all-cause or cardiovascular death and coronary events (moderate to low certainty); may slightly lower cardiovascular events (RR 0.95, not significant) and probably slightly lowers arrhythmia (RR 0.73 in 2 trials, 4,912 people).
Row on the Alpha-Linolenic Acid page · PubMed 32114706 (opens PubMed)