(12-05-09) Association between n?3 fatty acid consumption and ventricular ectopy after myocardial infarction1,2,3

Patrick J Smith, James A Blumenthal, Michael A Babyak, Anastasia Georgiades, Andrew Sherwood, Michael H Sketch, Jr and Lana L Watkins

1 From the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences (PJS, JAB, MAB, AG, AS, and LLW) and Medicine (MHS), Duke University, Durham, NC.
2 Supported by National Institutes of Health grants HL060826, HL070954, and HL080664-01A1.
3 Reprints not available. Address correspondence to LL Watkins, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Box 3119, Duke Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710. E-mail address: [email protected] .
Background: n?3 (omega-3) Fatty acids are associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease; however, the relation between dietary intake of n?3 fatty acids and ventricular arrhythmias has not been investigated among acute post-myocardial infarction (AMI) patients?a group at elevated risk of malignant arrhythmias.
Objective: The objective was to examine the association between n?3 fatty acid consumption and ventricular ectopy among AMI patients.
Design: In 260 AMI patients, dietary intake of n?3 fatty acids was assessed by using the Harvard food-frequency questionnaire, and ventricular ectopy was estimated from 24-h electrocardiograph recordings.
Results: A greater intake of n?3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid + docosapentaenoic acid + -linolenic acid) was associated with lower ventricular ectopy (? = ?0.35, P = 0.011), and this effect remained after cardiovascular comorbidities were controlled for (? = ?0.47, P = 0.003). Higher concentrations of both marine-based (eicosapentaenoic acid + docosahexaenoic acid) (? = ?0.21, P = 0.060) and plant-based ( -linolenic acid) (? = ?0.33, P = 0.024) fatty acids remained associated with lower ventricular ectopy after cardiovascular comorbidities were controlled for.
Conclusion: These findings extend existing evidence linking n?3 fatty acid consumption to a reduced risk of ventricular arrhythmias by showing that a greater intake of n?3 fatty acids may be associated with low ventricular ectopy among AMI patients.


Source: AJCN

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