[Antiarrhythmia effects of omega-3 fatty acids. A review].
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been effective in reducing cardiovascular mortality in the recent GISSI-Prevenzione study. In a post-hoc analysis of this study an important observation has been the reduction of sudden cardiac death. The hypothesis that a protection from sudden death occurs because of antiarrhythmic effects of omega-3 fatty acids is supported by studies on cellular and animal models. A few intervention studies before the GISSI-Prevenzione and several retrospective analyses of epidemiological studies, in which nutritional variables connected with the intake of omega-3 fatty acids had been recorded, also support such a hypothesis. This review critically summarizes this type of evidence and indicates current research directions for its further validation.
De Caterina
Raffaele
R
Cattedra di Cardiologia, Università degli Studi G. d'Annunzio, Chieti. rdecater@unich.it
Madonna
Rosalinda
R
D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3