Dietary intake of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and the risk of primary cardiac arrest.
Whether the dietary intake of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) from seafood reduces the risk of ischemic heart disease remains a source of controversy, in part because studies have yielded inconsistent findings. Results from experimental studies in animals suggest that recent dietary intake of long-chain n-3 PUFAs, compared with saturated and monounsaturated fats, reduces vulnerability to ventricular fibrillation, a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia that is a major cause of ischemic heart disease mortality. Until recently, whether a similar effect of long-chain n-3 PUFAs from seafood occurred in humans was unknown. We summarize the findings from a population-based case-control study that showed that the dietary intake of long-chain n-3 PUFAs from seafood, measured both directly with a questionnaire and indirectly with a biomarker, is associated with a reduced risk of primary cardiac arrest in humans. The findings also suggest that 1) compared with no seafood intake, modest dietary intake of long-chain n-3 PUFAs from seafood (equivalent to 1 fatty fish meal/wk) is associated with a reduction in the risk of primary cardiac arrest; 2) compared with modest intake, higher intakes of these fatty acids are not associated with a further reduction in such risk; and 3) the reduced risk of primary cardiac arrest may be mediated, at least in part, by the effect of dietary n-3 PUFA intake on cell membrane fatty acid composition. These findings also may help to explain the apparent inconsistencies in earlier studies of long-chain n-3 PUFA intake and ischemic heart disease.
Siscovick
D S
DS
Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98101, USA. dsisk@u.washington.edu
Raghunathan
T
T
King
I
I
Weinmann
S
S
Bovbjerg
V E
VE
Kushi
L
L
Cobb
L A
LA
Copass
M K
MK
Psaty
B M
BM
Lemaitre
R
R
Retzlaff
B
B
Knopp
R H
RH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004435:Eating; D004910:Erythrocyte Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D017747:Seafood; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3