Fish intake and risk of incident atrial fibrillation.
BACKGROUND
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia in clinical practice and is particularly common in the elderly. Although effects of fish intake, including potential antiarrhythmic effects, may favorably influence risk of AF, relationships between fish intake and AF incidence have not been evaluated.


RESULTS
In a prospective, population-based cohort of 4815 adults > or =age 65 years, usual dietary intake was assessed at baseline in 1989 and 1990. Consumption of tuna and other broiled or baked fish correlated with plasma phospholipid long-chain n-3 fatty acids, whereas consumption of fried fish or fish sandwiches (fish burgers) did not. AF incidence was prospectively ascertained on the basis of hospital discharge records and annual electrocardiograms. During 12 years' follow-up, 980 cases of incident AF were diagnosed. In multivariate analyses, consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish was inversely associated with incidence of AF, with 28% lower risk with intake 1 to 4 times per week (HR=0.72, 95% CI=0.58 to 0.91, P=0.005), and 31% lower risk with intake > or =5 times per week (HR=0.69, 95% CI=0.52 to 0.91, P=0.008), compared with <1 time per month (P trend=0.004). Results were not materially different after adjustment for preceding myocardial infarction or congestive heart failure. In similar analyses, fried fish/fish sandwich consumption was not associated with lower risk of AF.


CONCLUSIONS
Among elderly adults, consumption of tuna or other broiled or baked fish, but not fried fish or fish sandwiches, is associated with lower incidence of AF. Fish intake may influence risk of this common cardiac arrhythmia.
Mozaffarian
Dariush
D
Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass, USA. darymd@hotmail.com
Psaty
Bruce M
BM
Rimm
Eric B
EB
Lemaitre
Rozenn N
RN
Burke
Gregory L
GL
Lyles
Mary F
MF
Lefkowitz
David
D
Siscovick
David S
DS
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003296:Cooking; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils; D005399:Fishes; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008404:Massachusetts / Q000453:epidemiology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D017747:Seafood; D014413:Tuna
D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D004041:Dietary Fats; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils