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Research: ALBERT and colleagues,
Listed in Issue 78
Abstract
ALBERT and colleagues, Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02215-1204, USA, calbert@partners.org, investigated whether low blood levels of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were associated with sudden death as the first manifestation of cardiovascular disease.
Background
Background: Existing evidence indicates that long-chain n-3 PUFAs found in fish have anti-arrhythmia properties and that dietary supplementation may be beneficial for patients who have survived a heart attack. Unfortunately, sudden death can be can be the first and only manifestation of cardiovascular disease. The researchers therefore investigated whether levels of long-chain n-3 PUFAs were related to the occurrence of sudden death in men with no prior history of cardiovascular disease.
Methodology
This was a prospective case-control study that followed up a group of apparently healthy men for up to 17 years as part of the Physicians’ Health Study. The researchers analysed the fatty acid composition of blood samples previously collected from 94 men who died of ‘sudden death’ as the first manifestation of heart disease and from 184 men who were of similar age and smoking status to the 94 sudden-death cases.
Results
Low baseline blood levels of long-chain n-3 PUFAs were found to be associated with an increased risk of sudden death both before and after adjustment of data for possible confounding factors. Men whose blood levels were in the third and fourth highest quartiles were at significantly lower relative risks (RRs) of sudden death (adjusted RR 0.28, and adjusted RR 0.19, respectively) compared with men whose blood levels were in the lowest quartiles.
Conclusion
Higher blood levels of long-chain n-3 PUFAs, such as those found in fish, are strongly associated with a lower risk of sudden death as a first manifestation of cardiovascular disease in men.
References
Albert CM et al. Blood levels of long-chain n-3 fatty acids and the risk of sudden death. New England Journal of Medicine 346 (15): 1113-8. Apr 2002.
Comment
Omega-3 fatty acids can literally be life-saving, as demonstrated by this research study conducted at a prestigious American Institute. @i:76
