Schema of potential dose responses and time courses for altering clinical events of physiologic effects of fish or fish oil intake

Schema of physiologic effects of n-3 PUFA consumption. The relative strength of effect denotes the relative impact of n-3 PUFA consumption on the physiologic effect (eg, triglyceride-lowering). The time course to alter clinical events denotes the expected duration of consumption for the physiologic effect to alter disease outcomes. For example, the dose-response for antiarrhythmic effects appears to be initially steep with a subsequent plateau, and effects on disease outcomes may occur within weeks, whereas the dose-response for triglyceride-lowering is more gradual and monotonic, and effects on disease outcomes may require months or years of intake. Potentially important effects of n-3 PUFA on endothelial, autonomic, and antiinflammatory responses are not shown because the dose- and time-responses of these effects are not well-established. Physiologic effects are not necessarily exclusive: eg, antiarrhythmic effects may be partly mediated by effects on blood pressure (BP) or heart rate.