A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on selected arrhythmia outcomes in animal models

Matthan, N R and Jordan, H and Chung, M and Lichtenstein, A H and Lathrop, D A and Lau, J

Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental (2005) 54: 1557–1565

DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2005.05.026

Abstract

Epidemiological studies and clinical trials report the beneficial effects of fish or fish oil consumption on cardiovascular disease outcomes including sudden death. We performed a systematic review of the literature on controlled animal studies that assessed the effects of omega-3 fatty acids on selected arrhythmia outcomes. On the basis of predetermined criteria, 27 relevant animal studies were identified; 23 of these were feeding studies, and 4 were infusion studies. Across species, fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid, and/or docosahexaenoic acid appear to have beneficial effects on ventricular tachycardia (VT) and fibrillation (VF) in ischemia- but not reperfusion-induced arrhythmia models; no effect on the incidence of death and infarct size; and inconsistent results with regard to arrhythmia score, VF threshold, ventricular premature beats or length of time in normal sinus rhythm, compared to omega-6, monounsaturated, or saturated fatty acids, and no treatment controls. In a meta-analysis of 13 studies using rat models, fish oil but not alpha-linolenic acid supplementation showed a significant protective effect for ischemia- and reperfusion-induced arrhythmias by reducing the incidence of VT and VF. It is not known whether omega-3 fatty-acid supplementation has antiarrhythmic effects in other disease settings not related to ischemia.

Citation

Matthan, N. R., Jordan, H., Chung, M., Lichtenstein, A. H., Lathrop, D. A., & Lau, J. (2005). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of omega-3 fatty acids on selected arrhythmia outcomes in animal models. Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental, 54(12), 1557–1565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2005.05.026 Animals, Animal, Arrhythmias, Cardiac/prevention & control, Dietary Supplements, Eicosapentaenoic Acid/administration & dosage, Fatty Acids, Fish Oils/administration & dosage, Models, Omega-3/administration & dosage/pharmacology

Keywords

• Animals
• Animal
• Arrhythmias
• Cardiac/prevention & control
• Dietary Supplements
• Eicosapentaenoic Acid/administration & dosage
• Fatty Acids
• Fish Oils/administration & dosage
• Models
• Omega-3/administration & dosage/pharmacology