It is believed that greater heart rate variability is desirable in heart attack patients as it protects the heart against often fatal ventricular arrhythmias. The researchers conclude that fish oils may have an antiarrhythmic effect which could account for the better survival among heart attack patients who increase their intake of them. Christensen, Jeppe Hagstrup, et al. Effect of fish oil on heart rate variability in survivors of myocardial infarction. British Medical Journal, Vol.
Cardiac arrest is a serious, usually fatal condition in which the heart stops pumping.
Cardiac arrest most commonly occurs in connection with ventricular fibrillation and its primary cause is a heart attack. Their study involved 334 patients who had suffered cardiac arrest during the period 1988 to 1994 and 493 controls matched for age and sex. None of the study participants had had any indication of heart disease prior to the beginning of the study. Interviews with survivors or their spouses were used to determine the participant's fish intake in the month preceding the cardiac arrest. The researchers found that the intake of just one portion of fatty fish per week lowered the risk of cardiac arrest by an impressive 50 per cent after adjusting for age, smoking, family history of heart attacks, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, physical activity, education, and cholesterol level.