New Telegraph

Fish oil can’t prevent heart rhythm disorder -Study

Researchers in the United States (U.S.) said taking vitamin D or fish oil supplements won’t prevent heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation (a-fib).

 

The result of their findings was published in the ‘Journal of the American Medical Association’. Heart rhythm problems (heart arrhythmias) occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate heartbeats don’t work properly, causing the heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly.

 

Heart arrhythmias may feel like    fluttering or racing heart and may be harmless. Heart rhythm problems affect more than 33 million people worldwide and are the most common type of abnormal heart rhythm.

 

It can cause symptoms that affect a person’s quality of life, resulting in blood clots that can cause a stroke, and also lead to heart failure.

 

For the study, the researchers examined whether taking vitamin D supplements or omega  fatty acids found in fish oil might affect different kinds of a-fib, and whether some patients would be more likely to benefit or be harmed by the supplements.

 

According to lead author Dr. Christine Albert and colleagues, overall, the results were mostly consistent across the different types of a-fib and patient groups. Albert is chair of the Cardiology Department at Smidt Heart Institute in Los Angeles. The study follows a presentation by Albert at an American Heart Association (AHA) conference last year. “Our recommendation remains the same,” she said.

 

“We do not support taking fish oil or vitamin D supplements to prevent atrial fibrillation.”

 

However, “unlike other recent trials that found increased risks of atrial fibrillation with higher-dose omega-3 fatty acid supplements, our study did not find a significantly increased risk of atrial fibrillation with one gram of fish oil per day, which is good news for individuals taking low-dose fish oil for other health conditions,” Albert said

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