title: The autonomic nervous system and cardiovascular disease: role of n-3 PUFAs.
abstract: In the last decades, a large body of experimental and clinical evidence has been accumulated showing that cardiovascular diseases are often accompanied by an imbalance in the sympathetic-vagal outflow to the heart, resulting in a chronic adrenergic activation. The arterial baroreceptor system is a key component of mechanisms contributing to the neural regulation of the cardiovascular system. Several methods have been proposed to assess autonomic activity by analyzing heart rate and blood pressure changes either spontaneously occurring or following provocations. The autonomic nervous system has been regarded as one of the putative mechanisms involved into the beneficial effects of exposure to n-3 fatty acids observed in epidemiological studies. The aim of the present review is to provide an update on the clinical evidence proposed so far linking exposure to n-3 fatty acids to autonomic nervous system modulation.
authors: Divisione di Cardiologia, Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri, IRCCS, Istituto Scientifico di Montescano, Pavia, Italy.
authors: Maria Teresa
authors: MT
authors: La Rovere
authors: Department of Nephrology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark. Electronic address: mariateresa.larovere@fsm.it.
authors: Jeppe Hagstrup
authors: JH
authors: Christensen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3
keywords: Autonomic nervous system; Baroreflex sensitivity; Cardiovascular disease; Heart rate variability; n-3 PUFA