Debunking the Myth: Omega-3 Does Not Increase Risk of Atrial Fibrillation, Meta-analysis Finds

2023-07-21 03:03:49

Although the possibility of atrial fibrillation was raised when taking omega-3, a large-scale meta-analysis concluded that the risk was exaggerated.

The results of a meta-analysis of the possibility of atrial fibrillation according to omega-3 intake conducted by researchers including Frank Qian of the Harvard TH School of Public Health in the United States were published in the American Heart Association journal JACC on the 17th (doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2023.05.024).

In 2021, a study on the possibility of an increased risk of atrial fibrillation by omega-3 supplements was published in the Journal of the European Heart Association, sparking controversy over the effectiveness of omega-3.

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Various societies recommend high-dose administration of 2 to 4 g of omega-3 per day to prevent cardiovascular disease, but in previous studies, the risk of atrial fibrillation was particularly frequent in the high-dose administration group.

High-dose administration is essential for effectiveness, but it was a situation where the possibility of side effects due to high-dose administration had to be taken into account.

The research team launched a meta-analysis method that comprehensively analyzed 17 studies to determine whether omega-3 administration actually increased the risk of atrial fibrillation.

In the study, which included a total of 54,799 participants, the incidence of atrial fibrillation according to blood levels of each component (EPA, DPA, DHA) was followed up for an average of 13.3 years, and 7720 cases of atrial fibrillation were identified.

In multivariate analysis, the EPA level was not related to incident atrial fibrillation, and rather, the risk (HR) of atrial fibrillation for higher levels of DPA, DHA, and EPA+DHA was 0.89, 0.90, and 0.93, respectively, with a risk reduction of around 10% observed.

“Consumption of omega-3 fatty acids, including EPA, DPA, DHA and EPA+DHA, was not associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation,” the researchers concluded.

“With the known benefits of these fatty acids in preventing coronary artery disease, this study suggests that current dietary guidelines recommending the administration of fish or omega-3 supplements may be retained.”

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