Intake of very long-chain n-3 fatty acids from fish and incidence of atrial fibrillation. The Rotterdam Study.
BACKGROUND
Atrial fibrillation is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia. It is a major cause of morbidity and mortality through an increased risk of thromboembolic stroke. Experimental as well as observational evidence suggests that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids may have antiarrhythmic effects. The objective of this study was to examine whether high intakes of fish and its very long-chain n-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) plus docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are associated with risk of incident atrial fibrillation.


METHODS
We used data from the Rotterdam Study, a prospective cohort study. At baseline, dietary intake data were available for 5184 subjects free from atrial fibrillation. Dietary intake was assessed using a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, and incidence of atrial fibrillation was continuously monitored during follow-up. Cox proportional hazards model (adjusted for lifestyle and disease factors) was used to examine the associations between intakes of EPA plus DHA and of fish with atrial fibrillation.


RESULTS
After a mean follow-up of 6.4 (+/-1.6) years, 312 subjects developed atrial fibrillation. Intake of EPA and DHA in the third textile compared with first was not associated with risk of atrial fibrillation (relative risk 1.18, 95% CI 0.88-1.57). Furthermore, no association was observed with intake of >20 g/d fish compared with no fish intake (relative risk 1.17, 95% CI 0.87-1.57).


CONCLUSIONS
In this study, intakes of EPA and DHA and the consumption of fish were not associated with the onset of atrial fibrillation. This finding does not support that n-3 fatty acids have a general antiarrhythmic effect.
Wageningen Centre for Food Sciences, Wageningen, The Netherlands. ingeborg.brouwer@wur.nl
Ingeborg A
IA
Brouwer
Jan
J
Heeringa
Johanna M
JM
Geleijnse
Peter L
PL
Zock
Jacqueline C M
JC
Witteman
D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D004032:Diet; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011446:Prospective Studies
D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3