“Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have significant, cardioprotective effects against ischemia.
Hempseed contains a high proportion of the PUFAs linoleic acid (LA) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALA),
Hearts from rats fed a hempseed-supplemented diet exhibited significantly better postischemic recovery of maximal contractile function and enhanced rates of tension development and relaxation during reperfusion than hearts from the other groups.
Our data demonstrate that dietary hempseed can provide significant cardioprotective effects during postischemic reperfusion. This appears to be due to its highly enriched PUFA content.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17122327
“Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have received special research attention because of their antiarrhythmic and cardioprotective effects in hearts challenged by an ischemia-reperfusion insult. There are two major types of PUFAs: omega-3 and omega-6. Linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA) are common examples of an omega-6 and an omega-3 fatty acid, respectively… We have demonstrated for the first time in this study that dietary hempseed represents an effective, unique method to significantly alter the levels of ALA in the heart. We have also demonstrated for the first time that dietary hempseed will confer beneficial cardioprotective effects in hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion challenge.” http://ajpregu.physiology.org/content/292/3/R1198