Omega-3 fatty acids have antiatherosclerotic effect i.e. fish oil consumption may modestly reduce chronic progression of atherosclerosis, commonly referred to as a ‘hardening’ of the blood vessels (arteries). A clinical trial observed modest but statistically significant effects of fish oil supplementation on progression of coronary, but not carotid, atherosclerosis. Patients with CAD who took about 1.5 g of omega-3 fatty acids per day for two years had less progression and more regression of CAD on coronary angiography than did comparable patients who ingested a placebo. These patients also experienced fewer cardiovascular events. Another trial examined the effects of EPA (1.8 g/day for 2.1 years) on the progression of carotid atherosclerosis in 81 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes. Individuals who were given EPA had less progression of both mean and maximal intimal medial thickness.