AALBORG, DENMARK. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is now the most
common cause of death in the Western world. SCD is often caused
by ventricular arrhythmias in patients with heart disease, but may
also occur among previously healthy people. The risks of
arrhythmias and SCD are closely tied in with heart rate
variability (HRV) with a high variability index corresponding to a
lower risk. It would also appear that the risk of SCD can be
substantially reduced by an increased consumption of fish. Some
very recent research has shown that survivors of a first heart
attack can avoid having a second one by supplementing with fish
oils. An obvious question is whether there is a connection
between heart rate variability and fish oil intake.
Danish researchers at the Aalborg Hospital are convinced that there is indeed a very close connection - at least in men. Their recently released study involved 25 women and 35 men who were generally healthy and took no medications. The participants were randomized into three groups. Group 1 was given 10 fish oil capsules daily providing a total of 6.6 grams of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (3.0 g eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] and 2.9 g docosahexaenoic acid [DHA]); group 2 was given three fish oil capsules (0.9 g EPA and 0.8 g DHA) plus seven olive oil capsules daily, and group 3, the control group, was given 10 olive oil capsules daily. The study participants gave fasting blood samples and had their HRV measured with a Holter recorder for 24 hours at the start of the study and after 12 weeks of supplementation.
The researchers found that fish oil supplementation significantly
increased the concentration of EPA and DHA in both blood platelets
and granulocytes and that this increase was highly dose-dependent.
They also found a significant, dose-dependent reduction in
triacylglycerols, but no significant changes in total, LDL or HDL
cholesterol levels. The 24-hour Holter recordings showed a
correlation between heart rate (pulse rate) and blood level of EPA
and DHA with a higher level corresponding to a lower pulse rate in
both men and women. There was also a very significant association
between DHA level in men and SDNN. SDNN (the standard deviation
of all normal R-R intervals during the 24-hr Holter recording) is
an important index of HRV with higher values indicating greater
heart rate variability. The researchers conclude that
supplementation with fish oils, especially DHA, may help prevent
arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death in healthy men. They found
no association between EPA/DHA levels in women and HRV, but urge
further studies to confirm this seeming lack of effect.
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