Fish Oil Supplements Effect Arrhythmia
In a September 2005 issue of the Nutrition Action Letter, in an article entitled, "In A Heartbeat," we have found another example of why supplements, like prescription pills can have a negative result. The risk of irregular heartbeats in people who have irregular heartbeats may be greater when they take fish oil supplements, especially those who have implanted defibrillators. The devices monitor the heart rate and automatically administer a tiny electrical jolt when needed to stabilize the heart rhythm.
Researchers studied some 200 patients with implanted defibrillators who had recent episodes of arrhythmia—either tachycardia (the heart beats abnormally fast) or fibrillation (the heart flutters, rather than beats, so it pumps little or no blood) in the ventricle, or lower heart chamber. Both types of arrhythmia can lead to "sudden death" heart attacks, which kill half a million Americans every year. In as much as I have SDS (sudden death syndrome), I wondered why I could not, would not, take the fish oil supplements recommended by my doctor. Well, maybe God causes us to, instinctively, protect ourselves from many dangers.
Each patient was randomly assigned to take either a placebo (olive oil) or fish oil (1.8 grams a day, including 0.8 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and 0.5 grams of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA) for roughly two years.
While the fish oil appeared to have no impact on patients who initially had fibrillation, it seemed to make tachycardia patients worse. Within the first six months, the implanted defibrillators had to stabilize potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms in 61 percent of tachycardia patients taking fish oil, but in only 37 percent of tachycardia patients taking the placebo. By two years, the defibrillators had to stabilize the hearts of 79 percent of patients taking fish oil versus 65 percent of those on placebo.
What to do: It’s not clear why these results differ from earlier studies that found a lower risk of sudden death in people who consume fish or fish oil pills. But to play it safe, the authors recommend that people with arrhythmias (tachycardia or fibrillation) who have an implanted defibrillator not take fish oil pills.
Researchers studied some 200 patients with implanted defibrillators who had recent episodes of arrhythmia—either tachycardia (the heart beats abnormally fast) or fibrillation (the heart flutters, rather than beats, so it pumps little or no blood) in the ventricle, or lower heart chamber. Both types of arrhythmia can lead to "sudden death" heart attacks, which kill half a million Americans every year. In as much as I have SDS (sudden death syndrome), I wondered why I could not, would not, take the fish oil supplements recommended by my doctor. Well, maybe God causes us to, instinctively, protect ourselves from many dangers.
Each patient was randomly assigned to take either a placebo (olive oil) or fish oil (1.8 grams a day, including 0.8 grams of eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and 0.5 grams of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA) for roughly two years.
While the fish oil appeared to have no impact on patients who initially had fibrillation, it seemed to make tachycardia patients worse. Within the first six months, the implanted defibrillators had to stabilize potentially fatal abnormal heart rhythms in 61 percent of tachycardia patients taking fish oil, but in only 37 percent of tachycardia patients taking the placebo. By two years, the defibrillators had to stabilize the hearts of 79 percent of patients taking fish oil versus 65 percent of those on placebo.
What to do: It’s not clear why these results differ from earlier studies that found a lower risk of sudden death in people who consume fish or fish oil pills. But to play it safe, the authors recommend that people with arrhythmias (tachycardia or fibrillation) who have an implanted defibrillator not take fish oil pills.
J. American Medical Association 293; 2884, 2005.
posted by Stan Kent at
12:10 PM
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