The beat goes on

Nutrition Action Healthletter, Dec, 2004

Taking fish oil supplements reduced the episodes of irregular heartbeats in a study of 65 people with cardiac arrhythmia. Patients who took enough fish oil (three grams a day) to supply one gram of omega-3 fats had fewer arrhythmias over six months than similar patients who took three grams a day of olive oil.

Earlier studies had found a lower risk of sudden death heart attacks in people who eat more fish, presumably because omega-3 fats stabilize the heart's rhythm. But researchers have only recently tested fish oil directly on people with arrhythmias.

What to do: If you have irregular heartbeats, ask your doctor if you should take fish oil supplements.

Prostaglandins Leukot. Essent. Fatty Acids 71: 153, 2004.