Scientists at Harvard Medical School have found that increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids can reduce your risk of developing atrial fibrillation (atrial fibrillation). Research published American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
As of December 2020, approximately 302,000 US veterans participated in the study. The median age was 65 years, 91% male and 84% white. They provided serum samples and also filled out a questionnaire about lifestyle and eating habits. None of the participants had been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation at the start of the study.
Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids was assessed from questionnaires and the presence of atrial fibrillation was determined from electronic medical records. Nuts, oily fish, legumes, vegetable oils are the main sources of various omega-3 fatty acids. The average intake of omega-3 fatty acids from food was 219 mg per day.
The scientists also adjusted for age, gender, diseases and bad habits, and other factors that could affect the results. Increasing omega-3 fatty acid intake to 750 mg was associated with an 11% reduction in the risk of developing atrial fibrillation. Further increase had no effect on arrhythmia risk.
The results of this study are inconsistent with the REDUCE-IT and STRENGTH clinical trials, in which participants consumed 4,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids per day. This may be because previous studies have not excluded participants with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or high triglyceride levels. Additional studies are needed to confirm the results of the study.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmia). It is important to start anticoagulant therapy as early as possible to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with this disease.
ancient scientists to solvethat women with atrial fibrillation are three times more likely to have a stroke than healthy women.